Report: Pro-Sadr former Iraqi MPs meet in Baghdad amid debate over movement's political return

BAGHDAD, Iraq — LONDON-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported on Thursday that former lawmakers and senior figures from the Shiite National Movement, linked to the Sadrist movement, held a meeting in Baghdad the previous Friday. The gathering has revived discussion over whether the Sadrist movement will return to political activity after withdrawing from parliament in 2022. According to the report, the meeting was chaired by Hasan al-Athari, a former head of the Sadrist parliamentary bloc, and focused on conveying guidance from movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr to former lawmakers and movement officials. It said Sadr had imposed restrictions on the resigned MPs, barring them from media statements and political activity. Participants at the meeting also praised the lawmakers' commitment during the previous period to staying out of media and political disputes. The report said Sadr has continued to receive return proposals from political leaders but has so far rejected the overtures, arguing that political work is not meaningful at this stage. It cited Sadrist sources as saying he maintains his position that arms and militia activity should not operate outside Iraq's national interests. One source told the paper that the meeting did not discuss a return to politics and was only a communication gathering, adding that any decision on returning lies solely with Sadr.