KRG pushes back against Qara Tapa upgrade
Shafaq News - Diyala
The Garmian Administration in the Kurdistan Region on Monday rejected the federal plan to upgrade Qara Tapa from a sub-district to a full district, describing the move—and the inclusion of Koks within its new boundaries—as political and unconstitutional.
“Koks is part of the Kurdistan Region and was formally integrated after 2003 through official regional procedures,” the Administration stated. “Any attempt to detach it from Garmian constitutes a legal violation and will not be accepted.”
Residents of Koks, regardless of ethnic or sectarian background, reject the proposal and insist on remaining under Kurdistan’s administrative and political jurisdiction, it added.
The Administration affirmed it will pursue all legal and political measures to block the plan and preserve Koks’ current status.
Earlier, Iraqi lawmaker Karwan Yarwais described the Planning Ministry’s move as a direct breach of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which governs the resolution of disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil. “Altering administrative boundaries without resolving Article 140 reflects a return to the Arabization tactics of former regimes," he told Shafaq News.
On July 2, the ministry confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister and Planning Minister Mohammed Ali Tamim had approved the creation of the Qara Tapa district, encompassing the Jabara (21092) and Koks (21093) sub-districts under a new national administrative designation.
