Al-Nujaifi: Mosul is outside the scope of Article 140, and the Nineveh Council’s decision does not aim to change the demographics.
Al-Nujaifi: Mosul is outside the scope of Article 140, and the Nineveh Council’s decision does not aim to change the demographics.
2026-07-14
Shafaq News – Nineveh
On Tuesday, Ninawa Provincial Council member Abdullah al-Nujaifi confirmed that the city of Mosul, with all its administrative and municipal boundaries, is not covered by Article (140) of the Iraqi Constitution, denying that the council’s recent decisions regarding residential expansion areas aim to bring about demographic change.
Al-Nujaifi told Shafaq News Agency that “the city of Mosul is not at all included in Article (140), and all its administrative boundaries from before 2003 until today fall outside this framework,” explaining that “the lands of the Qazfakhra and Jaliukhan areas are essentially within the boundaries of the Mosul municipality since before 2003, and therefore the discussion revolves around a legal and geographical equation that has no relation to Article (140), and the Article Committee or its recommendations cannot extend to the clear and known boundaries of the city of Mosul.”
He explained that “the existence of Article (140) in other areas does not in any way mean the cancellation of the private property rights of citizens, as this right relates to the properties of individuals and is not related to the political or administrative management of the areas.”
Regarding concerns about demographic change, Al-Nujaifi pointed out that “this concept, legally and practically, pertains to the towns and areas with a specific population that are meant to preserve their historical identity, while Mosul is a city for all Iraqis and its identity will not change, and everyone will be a part of it without any demographic change occurring in any area.”
He added that “there are misconceptions being marketed incorrectly, and these are what create this controversy,” noting that “the Federal Court’s decision regarding demographic change was issued to protect certain towns such as Bartella and Qaraqosh, based on a request from the Christian community, to prevent others from owning property there in order to preserve its demographic character, which is completely different from the service and municipal reality of the city center of Mosul.”
Al-Nujaifi’s statements come against the backdrop of the ongoing legal and political controversy in Nineveh, following the filing of a lawsuit by Qusay Abbas, a member of parliament representing the Shabak community, against the head of the Nineveh Provincial Council, with the Federal Supreme Court.
The lawsuit is based on the accusation that the provincial council is seeking to bring about a demographic change in the areas surrounding the city of Mosul within the Nineveh Plain, after it voted on a decision allowing the Mosul municipality to proceed with procedures for dividing and distributing residential lands and granting building permits to citizens in expansion areas, including the lands of Qazfakhra and Jaliukhan, which was objected to by some parties on the grounds that it conflicts with the areas covered by decisions to limit demographic change and Article (140) of the Constitution.
shafaq.com
