Circumstances and reasons

On January 6, 1949, Nuri al-Said's government assumed power in Iraq, declared martial law, and launched a crackdown on all political parties and clandestine nationalist organizations. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was not spared. Hamza Abdullah, the KDP secretary in Sulaimaniyah, was arrested and transferred to Baghdad. Dr. Jaafar Muhammad Karim, a member of the KDP's Political Bureau, had his Iraqi citizenship revoked and was deported to Iran. Ibrahim Ahmad, head of the Sulaimaniyah local committee, and Omar Mustafa, head of the Baghdad local committee, were each sentenced to two years in prison. Rashid Abdul Qadir, a member of the KDP's Central Committee, was sentenced to three years, and Awni Yusuf, also a member of the Central Committee, was sentenced to one and a half years. Several other active KDP members were arrested and sentenced, including Nuri Ahmad Taha, Saleh Dilan, Hilmi Ali Sharif, and Ghafour Rashid Daragha. Several Central Committee members, including Saleh Yusufi and Rashid Bajlan, left the party, leading to a period of stagnation within its ranks.

In these circumstances and in the early 1950s, a number of party members, including Ali Abdullah (a member of the Political Bureau), Bakr Haji Ismail, Abdul Karim Tawfiq, Muhammad Amin Maarouf, and Omar Habib Abdullah, under the supervision of Kaka Ziyad Koya (the second deputy head of the party), attempted to form a temporary central committee, reorganize the party, and pave the way for holding the party's general conference. However, this committee failed to perform its tasks. Meanwhile, the Baghdad local committee became more active, so it did not approve the decisions of the Koya meeting and called directly for holding a general conference. However, instead of the conference, a general conference of the party was held.

The conference was held

In the early 1950s, the conference began its work in Baghdad with delegates from Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad, Halabja, Kirkuk, Mosul, and Koya, as well as Ali Abdullah and Awni Yusuf as leading members. A weak, provisional leadership was formed at the conference, comprising: Ali Abdullah, Awni Yusuf, Ali Hamdi, Saleh Rushdi Tahir, Mustafa Karim Ghafour, Muhammad Musa Sadiq, and Nuri Muhammad Amin..

Most of the leaders of the new interim leadership were unable to function, with the exception of Ali Abdullah. Saleh Rushdi and Mustafa Karim defected from the party, Muhammad Sadiq was still a middle school student, and Nouri Hamd Amin resigned. Therefore, this conference was unable to achieve its goals.

Sources

* Habib Muhammad Karim, History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iraq (at major stations) 1946-1993, (Dohuk - Khabat Press - 1998 AD).

* History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Conference and Congress (Program and Internal Program), Encyclopedia Committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Volume One, (Erbil - Roxana Press - 2021).

* Jalal Talabani’s letter (Beirut) to leader Mustafa Barzani and dear friend Mirhaj Ahmed (October 5, 1955 - Beijing), Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement 1931-1958, Volume One (Erbil - Ministry of Education Press - 2004), Document No. 7.

* Salah Rashid, Mam Jalal - The Meeting of a Lifetime: From Youth to the Presidential Palace (Sulaymaniyah - Kardo Press - 2017).