Situation and causes

In 1949, Hussein Jamil was entrusted with the position of Minister of Justice in the government of Ali Jawdat al-Ayyubi, which created a favorable political climate in Iraq, and most political prisoners were released. Within this framework, most of the leadership members and cadres of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, such as Hamza Abdullah، Awni Yousef، Jalil Hoshyar and Ibrahim Ahmad were released.

Hamza Abdullah, the Party secretary, after his release by the government, was allowed to work on re-obtaining his Iraqi citizenship, which had been revoked in 1938. Hamza Abdullah requested the Party's Central Committee to suspend his membership for the purpose of carrying out the work of re-obtaining Iraqi citizenship, but this request was rejected. It was then that Hamza Abdullah announced his resignation from the Party, and his resignation was accepted by the Central Committee.

With the approval of the resignation decision of Hamza Abdullah, a dispute arose between the Koya Regional Committee and the provisional Central Committee in Baghdad, which was a weak leadership. The Koya Regional Committee asked the Central Committee to reconsider its decision. The Central Committee was forced to bring back Hamza Abdullah and form a new political bureau consisting of Hamza Abdullah, Awni Yousef and Ali Abdullah  and for Hamza Abdullah to be in charge of it. It was also to make preparations for holding the Party Congress. At the same time, a request was made to Salih Rushdi and Mustafa Karim to hand over the Party's printing equipment to the political bureau, but Mustafa Karim Ghafur and Salih Rushdi did not do this. Later, they left the Party and began to reveal the Party's secrets. During that period, the Party program was typed and published by the political bureau as a preparation for the Congress with minor modifications.

In this way, the provisional leadership was elected, and the Baghdad conference could not succeed in its task. On the other hand, the political situation and the Party's organizations were in great confusion. That is why, after a short period had passed since the 1950 Baghdad conference, the decision was made to hold the Party Congress.

Holding the Congress

The Second Congress was held on March 13 and 14, 1951, at the house of Ali Hamdi, in the city of Baghdad. About 30 members, including representatives from Erbil, Balak, Koya, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and Baghdad, participated in it. After evaluating the political situation and the Party's organizations and discussing the issues, the attendees, especially Hamza Abdullah، Ali Abdullah and Ibrahim Ahmad agreed to form a new provisional Central Committee, on the condition that its members were not members of the previous Central Committee. After its formation, the members of the old and new Central Committees were to make the necessary changes to the Party's program and internal regulations together and make preparations for holding the Third Congress. 

In this Congress, the name of the Party remained as it was, and the previous program and internal regulations were translated into the Kurdish language without modification; only an introduction in the name of the political bureau and a preface in the name of the Central Committee were added to it. It was also decided that with the help of the secretary and the members of the previous leadership, the national covenant, the program, and the internal regulations would be amended.

In the Second Congress, without a secretary and a political bureau to manage the work and activate the organizations, a provisional Central Committee of six members was elected, which consisted of Ibrahim Ahmad Fattah, Nuri Shaways، Jalil Hoshyar، Omar Dababa، Bakr Ismail Muhammad and Muhammad Amin Marouf.

After the end of the Congress, the Party began to implement the decisions of the Congress and reactivate its organizations. After two years of suspension, in September 1951, the Party published a new issue of the Rizgari newspaper and also issued the (Nida Kurdistan) newspaper in Arabic. In 1952, the reorganization of the branch committees and local organizations, which had suffered from disintegration, began. During that period, the organizations of Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Penjwen, Qaladze, Ranya, Baghdad, Akre, Kirkuk, Erbil, Balak, and several other areas belonging to these cities were reactivated. Also, based on the decision of the Central Committee, in 1952, the Kurdistan Democratic Party participated in the Iraqi elections and was able to get its candidate, the lawyer Masoud Muhammad Jalilzadeh, elected in Koya. The Party also participated in the uprising of November 23, 1952, which was taking place against the then-authorities of Iraq.

Internal problems

Regarding internal problems, the Party's Second Congress could not solve the problems either. Each of Salih Rushdi and Mustafa Karim although they were asked by the Congress management committee to attend the Congress, they did not participate and formed a new organization of their own called the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq, only changing the name of the Party for their party. This new party dissolved in the second half of 1952, and most of its members returned to the Party.

As for Hamza Abdullah , as the Congress had decided, he did not abide by the decisions of the Congress and did not help the Party's organizations, so he was frozen (tajmid) by the Party's Central Committee, and after his freezing in the summer of 1951 Hamza Abdullah He was arrested by the government and it was decided that he would be returned to Turkey. At the same time, the government of Iraq began another campaign of arresting members of the Party, and each of Ibrahim Ahmad، Ali Abdullah, Omar Mustafa, Muhammad Habib, Awni Yousef and Jalal Talabani were arrested by the government and a decision was imposed on them to be exiled to several cities in Iraq, but the decision did not last long and was soon revoked. Only Hamza Abdullah had the decision remain as it was, and while being taken to Turkey, he was able to escape in Zakho and return to the city of Sulaymaniyah.

After returning, Hamza Abdullah contacted the dissatisfied members of the Party, including the Sulaymaniyah branch, who had problems with the Central Committee and had been expelled by the Central Committee, and they welcomed Hamza Abdullah. It was then that Hamza Abdullah and the Sulaymaniyah branch joined together and formed a party under the name of the Progressive Wing of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq. Those in Sulaymaniyah who contacted Hamza Abdullah were Muharram Muhammad Amin, Shahab Sheikh Nuri, Hama-Karim Fathullah, Baba Tahir Sheikh Jalal, and several others.

In the second half of 1952, the Central Committee of the Party attempted to Hamza Abdullah and the Sulaymaniyah branch, who had named themselves (Region 2 affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iraq), to persuade them to return to the Party. They initially agreed to return on the condition that those expelled be reinstated and participate in the Party Congress. Their conditions were approved by the Central Committee, but Hamza Abdullah and his friends went back on their word. This division of the Party caused the temporary Central Committee of the Party to work urgently to hold the Third Congress .

Sources:
  1.  Letter from Jalal Talabani (Pirot) to: Leader General Mustafa Barzani and dear friend Mirhaj Ahmad, (5/10/1955 – Beijing), Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, 1931-1958, Volume One, (Erbil – Ministry of Education Press – 2004), Document No. 7.
  2.  History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Congress and Conference (Program and Internal Regulations), Kurdistan Democratic Party Encyclopedia Board, Volume One, (Erbil – Roxana Press – 2021).
  3.  Habib Muhammad Karim, History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iraq (in key stations) 1946 – 1993, (Duhok – Khabat Press – 1998).
  4.  Ali Abdullah, History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iraq until the holding of the Third Congress, (Location unknown – 1968).
  5.  Salah Rashid, Mam Jalal: A Life Interview from Youth to the Republican Palace, (Sulaymaniyah – Kardo Press – 2017).
  6.  Abdullah Mardukh, Some Memories of Teacher Ibrahim Ahmad, (Sulaymaniyah – Zhiin Center – Karo Press – 2010).