Fighting resumed in February 1965 between the Kurds and the Iraqi government. After the resumption of fighting, the revolution's leadership moved its headquarters from Pishdar to Balak. After the Iranian government completely despaired of Ibrahim Ahmad and his entourage, it tried to contact the revolution's leadership and reach an agreement with it in Iraq. The results of those attempts were the provision of significant aid from the Imperial Government of Iran to the revolution against the ruling regime in Iraq.
On the eve of the regime's war, a number of national figures and intellectuals inside and outside Kurdistan mediated between the leader Mustafa Barzani and the old Political Bureau group who had taken refuge in Iran and demanded that he issue an amnesty for them. Barzani issued a decision to grant them amnesty unconditionally, so they all returned to Kurdistan on 6 July 1965, with the exception of Ibrahim Ahmad who requested to remain in Tehran. After the return of Ibrahim Ahmad's group by decision of the leader Mustafa Barzani, the Peshmerga joined the ranks of the revolution and their leaders were housed under the supervision of Jalal Talabani in the Raga Valley, and after a period they secretly contacted the Iraqi government from the Raga Valley.
After the assassination of the President of the Republic of Iraq, Abdul Salam Arif, he was succeeded by his brother, Abdul Rahman Arif, who contacted the revolution's leadership directly and called for negotiations to end the war. The government sent a delegation to Galala for this purpose, and the delegation met with the revolution's leadership, but the joining of the members of the old Political Bureau group to the side of the government hindered the negotiations, and this led to the resumption of the war. The government, with the help of the old Political Bureau group, planned a large-scale attack, and the government actually resumed its attacks on 2 May 1966.
The government was defeated in this round of the war and despaired of achieving victory. On 15 June 1966, the government sent a delegation to Galala, where the headquarters of the leader Mustafa Barzani was located, to negotiate a ceasefire. The delegation met on 18 June of the same month with the leader Barzani, and the two sides agreed to send a delegation from the revolution's leadership to Baghdad for the purpose of conducting negotiations and concluding the agreement between them. The delegation arrived in Baghdad on 22 June, and on 29 June the agreement was signed and announced. On 28 October 1966, the President of the Republic, Abdul Rahman Arif, arrived in Barziwa and met with the leader Mustafa Barzani.
After the 29 June agreement and the normalization of the situation in Kurdistan, it was decided to prepare for holding a new congress for the party in order to reorganize the ranks of the party by the leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Holding the CongressThe 7th Congress was held from 15 to 21 November 1966 in the high school of the Galala sub-district in Erbil Governorate, with the attendance of 425 delegates representing 30 thousand members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and the Political Bureau presented its political report to the delegates and shed light on all events in Kurdistan, Iraq, and the region, especially the agrarian reform, the insurance of companies by the Baghdad government, and the economic collapse of Iraq.
During the congress, a number of important decisions were taken regarding the organization and administration of the liberated areas, and a constitution for the Revolutionary Command Council was drafted. The congress also decided that the leader Mustafa Barzani should send a memorandum regarding the implementation of the 29 June statement to the Presidency of the Republic and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
As for Ali Abdullah and Nuri Shawis, who were members of the Political Bureau in the 5th Congress, and who joined the ranks of the supporters of the Mao Tse-tung meeting, and because they were not supported by the Jalal Talabani - Ibrahim Ahmad group, they became members of the Political Bureau once again. The name of the Kurdistan Democratic Party remained as it was without change, and the leader Mustafa Barzani was re-elected as President of the Party, and for the first time, both Idris Barzani and Masoud Barzani attended the opening ceremony of the congress.
Leadership members elected at the 7th Congress:
Mustafa Barzani - President
Habib Mohammed Karim
Nuri Shawis
Ali Abdullah
Shawkat Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Yadullah Al-Faily
Aziz Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Ismail Mulla Aziz
Numan Issa
Alternate members of the Central Committee:
Hashim Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Fatih Mohammed Amin
The number of Political Bureau members was increased from five to seven, and they were elected by the members of the Central Committee as follows:
Habib Mohammed Karim, Secretary
Dr. Mahmoud Othman - Member
Salih Yusifi - Member
Nuri Shawis - Member
Ali Abdullah - Member
Sami Abdul Rahman- Member
Aziz Akrayi (Aqrawi) - Member
Seven members and two alternates were elected by the delegates to the Oversight and Follow-up Committee:
Rashid Arif - President
Najm al-Din Yusifi - Member
Mulla Haidar Mohammed Hussein - Member
Sabri Botani - Member
Mulla Salih Hajj Hassan - Member.
After the end of the congress, the leader Mustafa Barzani assigned tasks to a number of leadership members, including Mahmoud Othman who was assigned to foreign relations, and Sami Abdul Rahman with numerous political and security tasks, and Idris Barzani was appointed head of the Military Bureau of the Revolutionary Command Council, and Masoud Barzani was assigned to manage the (Parastin) protection office.
Another important achievement of the congress was the re-issuance of the newspaper (Khabat), the mouthpiece of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Masoud Barzani took advantage of his visit to Baghdad to obtain an order for the release of Year 1965 prisoners and to restore the operating license of the (Khabat) newspaper. The new issue of Khabat newspaper was issued under the supervision of Salih Yusifi on 16 April Year 1967.
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History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Congress and Conference (Program and Internal Regulations), Kurdistan Democratic Party Encyclopedia Board, Volume One, (Erbil - Roxana Press - 2021).
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Salah Al-Kharsan, Political Currents in Iraqi Kurdistan, A Reading in the Files of Kurdish Movements and Parties in Iraq 1946-2001, (Beirut - Al-Balagh Press - 2001).
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Habib Mohammed Karim, History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iraq (In Key Milestones) 1946-1993, (Duhok - Khabat Press - 1998).
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Kurdistan Democratic Party, Central Committee, Statement on the Conclusion of the 7th Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, 25 November 1966.
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Shirko Fathullah Omar, The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdish National Liberation Movement in Iraq 1946-1975, (Sulaymaniyah - Ministry of Culture in the Kurdistan Regional Government - Ron Press - 2004).
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Kurdistan Democratic Party, Political Bureau, Political Report to the 7th Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, 1966.
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Notice, Khabat Newspaper, Mouthpiece of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Issue 671, Erbil, Wednesday, 14 April 1993.
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The Program and Internal Regulations of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and its amendments, approved by the 7th Congress of the Party in 1966, (no place - Khabat Press - 1966 AD).
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Hamid Gawhari, Let us know Idris Barzani and the Barzanis better, (Erbil - Shahab Press - 2014 AD).