Kurdish Lawmaker Says Arab Governor Of Iraq's Kirkuk Discriminates Against Kurds

Rebwar Taha, an Iraqi lawmaker, representing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, has accused the acting Arab governor of the city of Kirkuk in Iraqi Kurdistan, Rakan Jabouri, of discriminating against the Kurdish residents of the city by arbitrarily removing Kurds from posts in local institutions

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2019) Rebwar Taha, an Iraqi lawmaker, representing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, has accused the acting Arab governor of the city of Kirkuk in Iraqi Kurdistan, Rakan Jabouri, of discriminating against the Kurdish residents of the city by arbitrarily removing Kurds from posts in local institutions.

"In many state institutions there used to be Kurdish directors, heads of department and supervisors. They have been removed and replaced by people from other ethnic groups in an arbitrary manner," Taha was quoted as saying by the Rudaw news outlet.

According to a Kurdish Kirkuk resident, Kurds living in the city were suffering from "arabization and humiliation on a daily basis," the outlet added.

At the same time, spokesperson for the city's Arab Council Hatem Taii insists that it was the Kurds themselves who had occupied a disproportionate number of posts, marginalizing Arabs and Turkmen residents.

"There was a clear marginalization and a dismissal against the Arab and Turkmen political powers. The Kurds were mainly represented in all the administrations and leadership posts in the governorate, and I believe it wasn't fair," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the news outlet.

Taii also argued that the city governor was not playing much of role when it came to the appointments to the posts that the Kurds were complaining about.

"The majority of these posts are not controlled by the governorate of Kirkuk or the administration in Kirkuk. There are many posts that are under the power of the Federal authority," the spokesperson added.

Relations between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan worsened after Erbil held an independence referendum in September 2017, which was later deemed illegal by the Iraqi federal government. In response to Erbil's decision to secede, Baghdad launched a military operation and took control over Kirkuk.