Iranian Kurdistan: MP Denounces Iranian Government’s Lukewarm Commitment to Providing Promised Services to Kurdish Communities
Photo Courtesy of Kurdistan 24
Mr Muhsin Biglary, Kurdish representative in the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, has spoken out against the current government led by President Hassan Rouhani’s for failing to keep its campaign promises regarding cities in Iranian Kurdistan. Biglary is the representative of the cities of Saqqez and Bana, and has highlighted how the government has not provided equal opportunities for all Iranians. He went on to emphasise the lack of opportunities for Kurds in social services, and underlined the lack of investment in infrastructure in Kurdish areas leading to many fatal accidents, as well as the lack of action tackling rising unemployment rates in Iranian Kurdistan.
Below is an article published by Kurdistan 24:
A Kurdish representative in the Iranian parliament stated that the government has not kept their promise to provide services in the Kurdish areas in Iran.
Muhsin Biglary, the representative of the cities of Saqqez and Bana in the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran said that the current government led by President Hassan Rouhani has failed to keep its campaign promises regarding the Kurdish cities in Iran.
Biglary, in a meeting with Rouhani, said that many Kurdish people in Iran voted for Rouhani who feel let down now, Iranian-based Mehr news agency reported on Monday [12 December 2016].
“Kurds overwhelmingly participated in the elections and mostly voted for Rouhani but it is sad that we do not have even one Kurdish minister or deputy minister,” Biglary added.
Saqqez and Baneh are two Kurdish cities in the Kurdish region of Iran, known as Rojhelat among Kurds, located in the northwest of Iran.
The representative of Saqqez and Baneh said that Iranian Kurds expected a Kurdish expert to be allowed in the 11th cabinet to provide equal opportunities for all Iranians in terms of providing social services, adding that, “There have not been any changes in the budget for Kurdish areas and there are many issues with the roads.”
Traffic accidents with high fatalities have outraged citizens who argue the lack of safety of Iran’s roads has become “an official murderer” of their community.
Biglary added that that increased unemployment rate among Kurdish youth is worrying, and stressed the need to establish more factories and improve agriculture in the Kurdish areas.
The high rates of unemployment have affected Iran in general, and Kurds in particular, leading to dangerous jobs.
According to Iran Prison Atlas, a website monitoring prisoners' number and situation, a disproportionate number of Kurds are held captive by Iran for their political and religious activities.
