Ministry to decide on separatist party

ANKARA

A group of politicians led by Mustafa Özçelik issued a petition to the Interior Ministry for the formation of a new party named “Partiya Azadiya Kürdistan,” (PAK) in Kurdish, meaning “Kurdistan Freedom Party,” becoming the first political party officially demanding separation from the Republic of Turkey.

Among the party’s declared goals is establishing a state in “north Kurdistan” for Kurdish people, while its slogan is “Kurdistan, right now!”

“We have introduced all of the necessary documents and information for the official formation of the PAK to the Interior Ministry. We should have been given a receipt from the ministry according to the Political Parties Law. We have been told that the receipt would be given after the examination of these documents. We are waiting to receive this receipt,” Özçelik told reporters after he made the official application to the ministry.

Informing reporters about the party’s main lines, Özçelik said their fundamental theme was “freedom.” “The maxim of the PAK is freedom. We are of the opinion that denial and assimilation policies and one state-one flag approach has cost Turks and Kurds over the last 90 years. That’s why we are setting out to reach a status that approves togetherness on the basis of equality,” he said.

Upon a question on how they would determine the borders of Kurdistan, Özçelik said “the historical region of Kurdistan is well known” and they were taking it as their envisaged area. Although the party’s headquarters will be in Ankara, it is planned to manage its activities from Diyarbakır.

The Interior Ministry did not conclude its examination of the documents introduced by the party late in the afternoon of Nov. 17 when the Hürriyet Daily News went to print. However, the move drew reaction from a senior ruling party official early yesterday. “If you are planning to establish a separate entity within the Turkish Republic, it’s not possible. It’s against the Political Parties Law. It cannot be formed.
Even it is formed, it could be taken to the Constitutional Court,” Mehmet Ali Şahin, deputy leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) told CNNTürk.