Parastin û Zanyarî () (
English: ''Protection and Information'')
is a government agency and the primary investigative arm belonging to the
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq.
The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...
in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.
The organization is now a governmental agency that was established after combining and uniting
Kurdistan Democratic Party
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...
's (KDP) intelligence service (called ''Parastin'') and
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the Disputed territories of Northern Iraq, disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describes its goals as self-determination, human rights, democracy a ...
's (PUK) intelligence service (called ''Zanyarî'') under the name of Parastin û Zanyarî. Parastin was first established in 1968 by the KDP. Parastin û Zanyarî has been sometimes referred to as a "Kurdish Intelligence Service". The primary function of the agency is investigation of crimes relating to both the internal and external security of the Kurdistan region.
The agency officially has no power to arrest or detain but shares intelligence with the Kurdistan's security service,
Asayish, which holds jurisdiction over a number of crimes in the region including terrorism.
Although founded and funded by the KDP and PUK, it officially acts under the command of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The commander in chief of the parastin agency is Mani Hana Miran, who is in command of all Parastin u zanyari agencies that are governed by Hawler.
References
Kurdish organisations
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