Senior PUK official resigns after five decades
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah
On Monday, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced the resignation of Shalaw Ali Askari from its Political Bureau after 49 years with the party.
According to a statement from the party, Askari stepped down voluntarily and “will continue supporting the PUK outside formal structures.”
The party did not disclose the reasons behind his departure.
PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani described the move as notable, saying the resignation of senior officials is “rare” in the Middle East.
Askari is the son of Ali Askari, a PUK co-founder executed in 1978. He served in the first Kurdistan Parliament in 1992, according to parliament records, and later took part in negotiating committees with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Region’s largest party.
The PUK currently holds 15 seats in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament, while the KDP secured 26 seats, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
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