Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in the Iraqi Parliament announced that an agreement has been reached between political bloc leaders and the parliamentary legal committee to pass a law for the restitution of properties to their original owners.

The Head of the PDK bloc, Vian Sabri told Shafaq News that the law aims to return rights to owners of properties and agricultural lands seized since 1975 from affected Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians. "All residents in Kirkuk have faced significant challenges, and it is essential to restore properties and lands to their rightful owners," she added.

The Iraqi Parliament is set to hold a session today to pass several contentious bills, including the Property Restitution Law sought by Kurdish representatives. The session will also address the Personal Status Law proposed by the Coordination Framework and the General Amnesty Law supported by Sunni bloc lawmakers.

The passing of these bills has been delayed for multiple sessions due to disagreements over specific provisions.

Property Restitution Law Background

The proposed law, supported by the five Kurdish blocs in the Iraqi Parliament, aims to overturn Baath Party-era decisions regarding agricultural lands in areas covered by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. These decisions, made in the 1970s, led to the confiscation of lands from Kurdish and Turkmen farmers, which were then redistributed to Arab settlers, primarily in Kirkuk. The bill seeks to return these properties to their original owners and address the ethnic imbalance caused by the Baathist regime's policies.

The Kurdish blocs have united to pass the law, holding multiple meetings with Shiite and Sunni groups to ensure its progress. Notably, Kurdish representatives met with Hadi al-Amiri, Chairman of the Government Committee for the Implementation of Article 140, to gain support and prevent opposition from other parliamentary blocs.