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“We have secured agreement from all major parliamentary factions to proceed with Monday’s session and support the bill,” Chro Sharif stated.
The Iraqi Council of Representatives is set to hold a decisive session this coming Monday to vote on a draft law that would formally recognize Halabja as Iraq’s 19th province—a historic move long demanded by the Kurdish people and delayed by repeated political hurdles.
Chro Sharif, a Kurdish member of Iraq’s parliament, told Kurdistan 24 on Friday that political consensus has been reached among Sunni and Shiite blocs to proceed with the vote, marking the first time the initiative enjoys such sweeping support.
“We have secured agreement from all major parliamentary factions to proceed with Monday’s session and support the bill,” Sharif stated.
Decades in Waiting
The Halabja provincial bill has already completed two required readings under parliamentary rules but has faced repeated delays due to insufficient quorum—largely resulting from the absence of Arab lawmakers.
The Kurdistan Region officially declared Halabja a province in 2014, and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior recognized it in 2018. Yet, without parliamentary ratification, Halabja’s provincial status has remained in legal limbo.
Monday’s vote, if successful, will formally enshrine Halabja’s designation as a province within Iraq’s administrative and constitutional framework.
Kurdish Unity, National Backing
Sharif noted that the breakthrough came after intensive dialogue between Kurdistan’s two leading parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—with other national blocs. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Shakhawan Abdullah reportedly played a critical role in coordinating these efforts.
“This is not only a Kurdish issue, it is a national obligation,” Sharif added. “Recognizing Halabja as a province is an overdue step toward historical justice.”
A Symbol of Kurdish Tragedy and Resolve
Halabja holds profound historical and emotional significance for the Kurdish people. On March 16, 1988, in one of the gravest atrocities of the modern era, the Baath regime under Saddam Hussein launched a chemical weapons attack on the city. The massacre claimed the lives of at least 5,000 civilians—mostly women and children—and left thousands more severely wounded.
The attack was part of the broader Anfal campaign, a genocidal operation that resulted in the killing of over 182,000 Kurds. Halabja has since become a global symbol of Kurdish suffering, resilience, and the struggle for justice.
If the vote proceeds as planned, the move will represent a long-awaited vindication for survivors and descendants of the Halabja genocide and affirm Iraq’s commitment to healing wounds of the past through legislative action.