Shafaq News/ Mullah Bakhtiar, a member of the High Political and Interests Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has announced his boycott of the party's fifth conference, scheduled for Wednesday. Bakhtiar cited disagreements over the council's powers as the reason for his absence.

In a Facebook post, Bakhtiar revealed that he had engaged in a 1-hour and 35-minute discussion with PUK leader Bafel Talabani concerning the council's authority. He stated they could not agree and placed responsibility for his and other council members' non-participation in the conference squarely on Talabani.

The PUK's fifth conference is set to take place in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, on Wednesday.