Lahur Sheikh Jangi (File)
PM:05:57:02/08/2021
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SULAIMANI — In a
defiant turn, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-President Lahur Sheikh
Jangi said on Monday (August 2) that he will resort to the courts to resolve
accusations made against him by his counterpart Bafel Talabani, whose faction
launched a campaign last month to take sole control of the party.
"I showed my readiness to temporarily hand over my executive powers to the [Talabani] on the condition that an investigative committee from the party be formed to reveal the truth regarding the accusations against me," Sheikh
Jangi said in a statement obtained by NRT.
"Unfortunately, it seems that my party has not been able to form this committee due to a blockade. After being disappointed in my party's Politburo, I decided to seek legal recourse through the Slemani judiciary and ask that all the accusations against me be resolved through the courts," he added.
The declaration
appeared to be an effort to reassert his position within the internal power
dynamics of the faction-riddled party, which have been entirely in favor of the
Talabani faction over the past several weeks.
On July 8, Talabani
and his younger brother Qubad Talabani, who is the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) deputy prime minister, launched a series of moves designed to force
Sheikh Jangi from his position and to undermine his sources of power within the
PUK.
In doing so, they replaced several figures close to Sheikh Jangi as head of the PUK-affiliated Counterterrorism Service and the Zanyari intelligence agency.
The local security forces also raided a media outlet that was under development that was supportive of Shaikh Jangi.
Under that pressure, Sheikh Jangi signaled
on July 19 that he would step down from his position, pending reorganization of
the party’s leadership structure. Monday’s statement appears to undo that
pledge.
"From here I want to inform the members, cadres, supporters and the general public that I have now been informed to leave Kurdistan," Sheikh Jangi continued in his statement.
"It seems that they have decided to use government forces to drive me out from my home in Kurdistan," he said, without providing details.
"I have decided to face this plot head on and will not leave my nation until my last breath," he
declared.
"I will do whatever I can, with the support of all the people to resolve this situation our region finds itself in, because I have decided to serve the people of Kurdistan," Sheikh Jangi concluded.
(NRT Digital Media)
This story was updated at 6:57 p.m. EBL