June 1 marks the 47th founding anniversary the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the 46th anniversary of the modern Kurdish revolution. The founders of the PUK, most notably Jalal Talabani, gave hope to the Kurdish people in the mid-1970s when Kurds had given up on all hope after the abandonment of the Kurdish revolution in 1975. 

PUK ignited hope in the hearts of the oppressed Kurds, and a new revolution led by the PUK began with ripple effects across the Middle East. 

People from all of the Kurdistan region celebrated the 47th anniversary. They hoped that the party better serve its people. 

PUK affiliates visited Mam Jalal’s tomb in Sulaimani, the former general secretary of the PUK. They hoped that his legacy would be lived on as he championed freedom of expression, economic development, good governance and security for the Kurdish people.

The PUK forum preceded the occasion that lasted lasted six months, where members of the PUK, both senior and junior, participated in the various committees dedicated to device better policies for the PUK. The forum is revolutionary in Kurdish politics. It serves as a bottom-up approach to policymaking and plural decision making, in a region where policymaking circle is tight. 

The occasion was warmly greeted by PUK affiliates and ordinary people. They hoped for the event to end the domestic rivalry between the Kurdish parties of the Kurdistan region.

In 1975, founding members of the PUK met in Syria’s Damascus to declare PUK's founding. Jalal Talabani, its first secretary, and six others founding members declared PUK's founding first in Damascus, and later Germany on June 1, 1975. The PUK started as an umbrella organization and later reorganized many organizations in the Kurdistan region that struggled for Kurdish rights in Iraq in the early 1970s and 1980s. During its 15 years of armed struggle, it liberated many areas of the Kurdistan region from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. Eventually, it led to a successful uprising that removed Baathist authority from the Kurdistan region. 

The PUK works to promote democracy, human rights, and self-determination. It is also a member of the Socialist International. It has spearheaded democratic reform and good governance in the Kurdistan region.