Bradosti Absent from PUK Bloc Meeting Amid Reports of Family Severing Party Ties

ERBIL — A meeting between senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials and the party’s parliamentary bloc has attracted attention after one lawmaker, Muhammad Bradosti, was absent amid reports that his family has severed ties with the party.

Qubad Talabani, a member of the PUK Political Bureau and brother of the party’s president, Bafel Talabani, announced that he met with members of the Green Bloc in the Kurdistan Parliament alongside Shalaw Kosrat Rasul. The PUK won 23 seats in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections, making it the second-largest bloc in the legislature.

In a statement released following the meeting, Talabani said discussions focused on clarifying the PUK’s political position in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region. He stressed that the PUK “is not an obstacle to forming the new government,” adding that the party supports accelerating the government formation process on the basis of “genuine partnership” and considers any further delay a threat to the Kurdistan Region’s position.

Talabani also called on Green Bloc lawmakers to continue serving their constituents despite the current inactivity of the Kurdistan Parliament.

“I urged them, despite the parliament’s inactivity, to fulfill their duties toward the voters and the people of Kurdistan by consistently following up on citizens’ issues on a daily basis,” he said.

However, Muhammad Bradosti, who is considered part of the PUK parliamentary bloc, did not attend the meeting, prompting speculation about his political future.

His absence comes days after reports emerged that his father, Faisal Karimkhan Bradosti, a member of the PUK Leadership Council, had resigned from the party after decades of membership.

According to Draw Media, citing a source close to Faisal Karimkhan Bradosti, he formally submitted his resignation on June 22 to PUK Deputy President Rifaat Abdullah. The report said he decided to leave partisan politics and remain politically independent, despite efforts by senior PUK officials to persuade him to reverse his decision.

The same reports indicate that the resignation extends beyond Faisal Karimkhan himself, with members of the Bradosti family also reportedly ending their affiliation with the PUK. The family’s departure is considered significant due to its longstanding relationship with the late PUK founder, Jalal Talabani, which dates back to before the party’s establishment.

Faisal Karimkhan Bradosti was the PUK’s candidate for Erbil in the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections, while his son, Muhammad Bradosti, ran on the party’s ticket in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections.

Neither Muhammad Bradosti nor the PUK has commented on the lawmaker’s absence from the Green Bloc meeting or addressed the reports regarding the Bradosti family’s alleged departure from the party.