According to the division of the organizational work stages of the Kurdistan Students Union, and although the year 1964 is considered a resumption of the secret work of the organization, which began again in 1961, from that year until 1970, the organization faced a more disparate situation called the stage of schism. During this stage, two trends of the organization bearing the same name (Kurdistan Students Union) in educational institutions tried to attract students to their ranks, and for that, they were in unhealthy competition.
Before addressing each stage of the Kurdistan Students Union's work, it is necessary to take a look at the situation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party at that stage, so that the events in the organization become clear to us, and what external party influences were reflected and had a direct impact on the organization, especially since the Students Union was one of the most important and influential platforms and pillars of the party, and the internal and external events of the party had a direct reflection on the organization.
After the February 10, 1964 agreement between the revolution and the government, and with the aim of separating Sulaymaniyah from the Party and the revolution, and in protest against the agreement, the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party separated from the Kurdistan Democratic Party. They were called in contemporary Kurdish history literature (the Jalalis).
Although the attempts for this separation date back to late 1963, the year 1964 and after the month of February became clearly partisan. The Fourth Congress of the Kurdistan Students Union constitutes a clear reflection of this division in the party, as this group from the Political Bureau tried to establish a secretariat without inviting the Badinan members. Most of the members of the Students Union secretariat were elected from the Sulaymaniyah region.
On June 8, 1964, this secretariat issued a statement against the leader Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party entitled "Our position towards Mullah Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party". This statement was responded to on August 19, 1964, by the Preparatory Committee of the Kurdistan Students Union in Sulaymaniyah, which affirmed its support for the leader Mustafa Barzani and the revolution and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Managing the conference and its decisionsSince the separatist group of the Political Bureau formed a minority in the party, the leadership of the Students Union, which was entirely devoted to the interests of the group, did not have the ability and authority to manage the organization, so it was decided to hold a conference for the organization as soon as possible.
As a result of the dissatisfaction of the organizational bases of the Kurdistan Students Union with the authoritarian performance of the Fourth Conference secretariat and the marginalization of students from the Badinan region in the Fourth Conference, especially since the leadership represented part of Sulaymaniyah Governorate and not all of Kurdistan. Therefore, in early August 1964, six months after the Fourth Conference was held, the student delegates held their second conference publicly in the liberated areas of Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the village of Kani Masi. A new leadership body was elected in preparation for holding the Fifth Congress.
The new body, which was at the same time the Preparatory Committee for the conference, was elected as follows:
1- Bakir Hussein - Sulaymaniyah organization
2- Jalal Hama Ali - Sulaymaniyah organization
3- Adnan Haji Musa - Baghdad organization
4- Huwayz Dizayi - Baghdad organization
5- Abdulwahab Talabani - Kirkuk organization
6- Jawad Mohammed Shirwani - Erbil organization
7- Abdulkarim Fandi - Duhok organization.
Thus, all organizations, unlike the leadership of the Fourth Congress, had representatives in this leadership.
Sources and footnotes1- Majid Hassan Ali, The Kurdish Student Movement in Iraq (1926-1970), Master's Thesis/Salahaddin University in Erbil 2008, Spirez Publications, (Erbil - Haji Hashim Press), pp. 46, 51.
2- Irfan Aziz Aziz, Congresses and Conferences of the Kurdistan Students Union, First Edition, (Erbil - Rojhalat Press - 2012), p. 43; Kurdistan Democratic Party Encyclopedia Authority, History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Congress and Conference (Program and Internal Regulations), Volume One, First Edition, (Erbil - Rojhalat Press - 2021), p. 178.
3- Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, pp. 43-44.
4- Shazin Hirsh, Democratic and Professional Organizations in Several Historical Documents 1958 - 1968, Second Edition, (Sulaymaniyah - Raz Press - 2001 AD), pp. 73, 75.
5- Same source, pp. 81-82.
6- Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Students Union: Aspects of Struggle and History, (Erbil - Ministry of Education Press - 1998), p. 24.
7- Majid Hassan Ali, previous source, p. 150; Irfan Aziz Aziz, same source, p. 44.