Iraq's Badr calls to reverse Jalawla, Qara Tapa district upgrades

Shafaq News- Diyala

The Badr bloc in Diyala’s provincial council on Thursday said steps are underway to cancel the district status granted to Jalawla and Qara Tapa and return them under Khanaqin district.

In a press conference in Khanaqin, bloc member Raad Al-Tamimi stressed that Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution remains in force and that Khanaqin is an integral part of Diyala, “there is no legal basis for upgrading the two subdistricts.” He added that the current federal government, operating in a caretaker capacity, lacks the authority to issue such decisions.

Badr leader Hadi Al-Amiri, who heads the Higher Committee for the Implementation of Article 140, "backs efforts to reverse the administrative changes."

Earlier, the federal government decided to upgrade Jalawla, home to about 94,000 residents, to full district status and confirm Qara Tapa’s elevation. Kurdish parties rejected the changes and a general strike shut markets and public institutions in Khanaqin on February 25 in protest, with warnings of a possible challenge before the Federal Supreme Court.

Diyala includes areas classified as disputed territories under Article 140, which prescribes normalization, census, and referendum procedures to determine their status.