On the occasion of the historic betrayal committed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (#KDP# ) on 31-08-1996, the Political Bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) issued the following statement: This treachery, like many other dishonesties in the party's history, is a stain on the nation's memory and will not be erased by hundreds of media speeches, false books, and misleading narratives of events.
The following is the politburo's statement, which reads:
Following an invitation from the KDP leadership, the Ba'ath dictatorship's Republican Guard forces occupied Erbil, Kurdistan's capital, 27 years ago. This occupation caused significant destruction and loss of life, causing long-term damage to national and patriotic sentiments that still reverberate in our collective memory.
The Kurdish people had only been revolting against the Ba'ath regime's oppression for five years, and the regime had seized a portion of the country's territory, but the KDP brought the Anfal and chemical attack armies back to Kurdistan and Erbil under the guise of disrupting the balance of forces in the civil war. As a result, hundreds of Peshmergas, #PUK# fighters, and Iraqi opposition forces were killed or injured, and hundreds more were kidnapped and disappeared. Since its inception, the weapons of this chauvinist army have degraded the Kurdistan people's elected parliament and tarnished our experience.
However, despite numerous media speeches, false books, and inaccurate accounts of the events, this treachery is a stain on the nation's memory, similar to many other dishonesties in the party's past. The PUK and other political parties in Kurdistan, motivated by their optimism for the future of our people and the legitimacy of the Kurdish issue, acknowledge that the political process in our country cannot be rooted in a single location and is susceptible to disruption. Therefore, they opted for a more favorable resolution based on peace and the restoration of cordial relations. They overcame difficulties caused by dishonesty and treachery while actively attempting to preserve the remnants of our nation's illustrious history. In doing so, they inaugurated a new era devoted to fostering peace and reviving the ongoing pursuit of democratic struggle. The fall of the regime's army and the August 31 tragedy during the liberation process, as well as the various achievements made by our people in terms of constitutional recognition of the Kurdistan Region and the implementation of a federal system, can be attributed to the PUK's patience and patriotic commitment to preserving the future of Kurdish identity and Kurdistan's sovereignty.
Unfortunately, the force responsible for the betrayal of August 31 continues to pursue the same terrible policy and serve the same narrow interests of the KDP, rather than learning from past errors. As it continues to accuse patriotic groups, especially the PUK, of baseless defamation while investing a great deal of resources, influence, and media fraud into this deception, it is clear that it has misunderstood the conscious restraint and patience of future servants of Kurdistan and encourages violence and dishonesty. Instead of focusing on the political process and the future of our people and trying to heal the wounds caused by the history of betrayal with proper Kurdish and national policy, it is constantly looking for ways to legitimize his betrayal.
Though it's painful to remember, we must not let our anger and resentment fester or lead us to seek vengeance; rather, we must work tirelessly to erase the memory of this and other tragedies from our nation's collective consciousness. We demand that all hope for authoritarianism be abandoned and that instead the chance be given to fix the government, create democracy, and bring real justice to Kurdistan. We will not forget the tragic events of August 1996 or other mistakes, but we are ready to fight for and make sacrifices for the right national policy.
All the brave and proud martyrs of our people, and in particular the proud martyrs of the resistance against the occupation of the Kurdistan capital on the day of August 31, 1996, are saluted on this day and in honor of all the martyrs and victims of our people. [1]