Badr defends Maysan council chief facing PM probe
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Badr parliamentary bloc on Monday defended Maysan Provincial Council Chairman Mustafa Duair against an investigation ordered by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and urged the federal government to reopen the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran, warning that the closure was hurting the southern province's economy and living conditions.
Duair's remarks should be read in light of the damage and public anger in Maysan, the bloc said, describing his position as an effort to voice residents' demands and defend their interests. Badr is the parliamentary bloc of the Badr Organization, a prominent Shiite political and armed group.
Badr warned that keeping the crossing shut without a clear solution could widen protests and erode trust between the province and Baghdad. It urged the government to avoid any measures that might be seen as targeting the interests of central and southern Iraq or as applying the law selectively. Any technical, security or administrative problems at the crossing should be fixed by tightening controls and holding violators accountable, not by suspending its operations, the bloc said.
The bloc also called for the law to be applied equally at all official and unofficial border crossings, and urged the government to take the same tough line on violations and smuggling through unofficial crossings in the Kurdistan Region. It asked the parliamentary committee formed to follow the Al-Sheeb case to publish its findings, identify who is responsible for the closure and recommend a timeline for reopening.
Badr also rejected accusations against Maysan and its residents made without clear evidence. Among them were claims linking the province to an attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline.
Al-Zaidi ordered the investigation after Duair threatened civil disobedience, road closures and cutting Maysan off from the rest of Iraq unless the crossing reopened by Thursday. Protesters blocked the Bazargan road used by oil companies on Sunday, and Maysan Governor Habib Dhahir Al-Fartousi also urged the prime minister to reopen the crossing. Baghdad ordered Al-Sheeb closed on Oct. 20, citing unspecified technical issues, and Iran's Interior Ministry said it had received no advance notice.
