Iraq’s planning ministry upgrades Jalawla to district despite opposition

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Planning Ministry on Monday issued a decree upgrading Diyala’s Jalawla from a sub-district to a district, a move that has drawn opposition from a majority of the Diyala provincial council, which has called for the decision to be suspended.

Planning ministry spokesperson, Abdul-Zahra al-Hindawi, told Rudaw on Monday that acting Planning Minister Khaled al-Najm “issued an order to upgrade Jalawla within the borders of Diyala province to a district.”

The decision follows a January 31, 2024, vote by the Diyala provincial council to elevate Jalawla to district status. The move has been opposed by Kurdish political parties, which say it amounts to a renewed attempt to alter demographics and seize territory.

The planning ministry, in a statement on Monday, said that move is “a step aimed at strengthening the administrative organization and supporting the local development requirements in the jurisdiction.”

According to the ministry, Jalawla as a district “has multiple spatial and developmental advantages,” including links to other provinces, the availability of “promising economic and agricultural settlements,” and tourism potential tied to Lake Hamreen.

Jalawla, previously under Khanaqin district, is one of the disputed territories covered by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which outlines a process to resolve the status of areas contested between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Nine of the council’s 15 members - an absolute majority - have now formally requested that the acting planning minister halt the administrative procedures. According to a letter dated February 22, 2026 and obtained by Rudaw, the signatories called for suspending the move and referenced a similar decision concerning the Saadiya sub-district, rejecting its separation from Khanaqin district.

Sherko Mirways, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Khanaqin branch, told Rudaw that “the document was signed by a majority of the members and sent through the governor to the planning ministry to stop the transition,” noting that members of both the Badr and PUK blocs were among those who signed.

In a separate document issued the same day, Diyala Governor Adnan al-Shamari ordered the suspension of the upgrade’s implementation until a response is received from the planning ministry.

Nazk Ahmed, an Iraqi lawmaker from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc representing Khanaqin, told Rudaw that “the request to stop the decision is based on the argument that it is unconstitutional, as Jalawla falls under the territories covered by Article 140 of the Constitution.”

The upgrade was first announced on Thursday by Omar al-Karawi, chairman of the Diyala provincial council from the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance.

According to the planning ministry, the new district’s population is estimated at 94,000 people, with an additional 40,000 residents from the Saadiya sub-district to be added.

The controversy follows a similar attempt in July to upgrade the Qaratapa subdistrict.

Aws al-Mahdawi, the sole PUK representative on the Diyala provincial council, told Rudaw at the time that they “reject” the decision, describing it as “political.”

He said the subdistrict “should not be tampered with,” noting that it also falls under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, and added that its population does not meet the 400,000 threshold required for district status.