Turkey’s parliament opens debate on a pardon-like bill for thousands of PKK militants

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey’s parliament on Monday opened debate on a draft bill that would introduce a conditional amnesty for thousands of Kurdish militants, offering them a pardon-like mechanism in a bid to advance the government’s peace initiative with their insurgent group.Last year, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, ended its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state, declaring a decision to disarm and disband as part of the peace effort. The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.The PKK then staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, where it is based, and announced that it was withdrawing fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq.The measure, which is a step toward ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, could have implications beyond Turkey's borders, leading to closer Turkish-Iraqi ties. It could also support the Syrian government's efforts to integrate areas that were under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, affiliated with the PKK.It also offers Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to court the support of the pro-Kurdish DEM party to help h...