To avoid embarrassment with Washington, a “hidden” decision disrupts Iraqi parliament sessions.
Independent MP Haitham Al-Fahd accused the Iraqi government on Monday of disrupting parliament sessions, revealing the reasons behind the disruption.
Al-Fahd told Shafaq News Agency, “There is a hidden government decision behind the suspension of the parliament sessions. This suspension is to avoid embarrassing the government, to prevent the Popular Mobilization Law from being passed, and to avoid causing embarrassment with America and the general situation. The same applies to the issue of the salary scale. The government does not want the new scale because it does not have enough funds.”
He added, “There is a will to prevent amendments to the electoral law, and this is a priority for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Therefore, the suspension of parliament sessions is a hidden government decision aimed at maintaining the status quo until the next parliamentary elections.”
Last March, the Iraqi parliament completed the first reading of the draft law governing the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which regulates the administrative structure of the PMF, comprising directorates, brigades, and other units. This came after the law governing service and retirement for PMF members was withdrawn from parliament and returned to the cabinet, due to the controversy surrounding it.
In the same month, the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee demanded that the second reading of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bill be removed from the parliament’s agenda pending completion of the required legislative procedures.
In early April, Raed al-Maliki, a member of the parliamentary legal committee, stated that the enactment of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law would close the door on factions and entities operating outside this official military institution.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy urged the US administration, headed by Donald Trump, to send a “calm and firm” message to the Iraqi government regarding the risks of passing a new law related to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), warning that this legislation could transform the PMF into an entity similar to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
In a related development, the director of the Popular Mobilization Forces’ training directorate, Ammar Karim al-Saray, announced that the directorate had begun establishing a military college and academy for the Popular Mobilization Forces. He noted that the academy would be a “factory and nucleus for preparing leaders and commanders who would work side by side with our armed forces to defend the homeland.”
During the conference, Al-Saray announced that “the directorate has begun developing a plan to establish a military college and academy specifically for the Popular Mobilization Forces’ fighters. The directorate has begun holding extensive meetings and seminars and has formed specialized committees to develop appropriate plans for this purpose.” He explained that “appropriate training curricula have been prepared to confront potential threats after a comprehensive study of local, regional, and international colleges and academies to keep pace with military developments.”
Shafaq.com