The Kurdish Conflict in Türkiye: A New Chapter in the Peace Process
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (Map locations: Türkiye, Iraq, Syria, Iran; Ethnic groups: Kurds; International conflicts).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (International Relations): "Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests." (Instability in West Asia).
General Studies Paper 2 (Polity): "Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries" (Handling of separatist/autonomy demands).
General Studies Paper 3 (Internal Security): "Role of state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security" (Comparative study of insurgencies and peace processes).
Key Highlights from the News
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist organization in Turkey, announced that it is withdrawing all its fighters from Turkey to northern Iraq and will disarm and dissolve.
The organization's new decision is to end decades of armed struggle and achieve its demands through "democratic politics".
This move is at the behest of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed founder and leader of the PKK.
The PKK has abandoned its earlier demand for a "Free Kurdistan". Instead, its main demand is now "greater rights and limited autonomy" for the Kurdish region.
Turkish President Erdoğan described this move as an "irreversible turning point" and appointed a parliamentary commission.
The PKK demands that for the peace process to be complete, the Turkish government must introduce a "new legal framework" that guarantees amnesty for disarmed fighters, political participation, and Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights.
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