"We call on media outlets, typically al-Sharqiya TV, to work in line with media etiquette and make truth and honesty on the basis of their media work," read his statement released on Wednesday, referring to the privately-owned, secular Iraqi TV.
Some Iraqi media outlets claimed on Wednesday that Karim had “secretly” joined "Masoud Barzani’s party.” Barzani is President of the KDP, the party Karim had left for joining Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) decades ago.
He told Rudaw in late September that he is neither a member of PUK nor KDP.
“Besides friendship and a personal relationship with Mr. Kosrat [Rasul Ali, PUK acting leader], and it is true we talk about a lot of things, I don’t have an official connection with the PUK and haven’t been to any meeting following October 16 and haven’t been asked … I haven’t joined the KDP. I won’t be ashamed if I make such a decision.”
The claims are based Karim supporting the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum. All major Kurdistani parties supported independence, but some claimed it was merely a KDP project that could be politically leveraged at a later date due to party members’ propagation of the referendum.
An Iraqi court has issued an arrest for Karim due to his participation in and support for the bid.
Karim initially supported two referendums for disputed Kirkuk — one to determine if it wanted to remain part of Iraq, the other to see if its people desired to be a part of the Kurdistan Region’s independence bid.
Amid the federal takeover of Kirkuk in October 2017, Karim left for Erbil. The longtime PUK comrade had his politburo status revoked and then membership earlier in 2018.
The PUK was formed in 1975 by several former KDP members including the late Jalal Talabani. The PUK is yet to hold a congress to name his replacement.
The KDP and PUK are respectively the largest parties in the Kurdistan Region and with an absolute majority rule the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
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