UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Turkiye’s Parliament approves a pardon-like Bill for PKK militants

Q1. Consider the following statements comparing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at its formation with its later political position: 1. The PKK was formally founded in 1984, the same year in which it launched its armed campaign, its blueprint being a manifesto written by Abdullah Ocalan and his associates in 1977. 2. At its formation the PKK was a Marxist organisation committed to the creation of an independent Kurdistan, whereas its stated aims were later tempered to demands for greater Kurdish autonomy. 3. Its armed campaign opened with an attack on a pro-government village in south-eastern Turkiye, and the insurgency that followed is estimated to have killed more than 40,000 people over four decades. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The PKK was formally founded in 1984, the same year in which it launched its armed campaign, its blueprint being a manifesto written by Abdullah Ocalan and his associates in 1977.
  2. At its formation the PKK was a Marxist organisation committed to the creation of an independent Kurdistan, whereas its stated aims were later tempered to demands for greater Kurdish autonomy.
  3. Its armed campaign opened with an attack on a pro-government village in south-eastern Turkiye, and the insurgency that followed is estimated to have killed more than 40,000 people over four decades.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Which of the following are correctly identified as features of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)? 1. Its founding programme sought an independent Kurdish state, drawing on a manifesto authored by Abdullah Ocalan and two associates. 2. Its guerrilla core was trained in Syria after its leadership was forced out of Turkiye at the end of the 1970s. 3. It is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union. 4. Its armed campaign was launched from, and drew its principal base among, the Kurds of the Zagros mountains of western Iran. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Its founding programme sought an independent Kurdish state, drawing on a manifesto authored by Abdullah Ocalan and two associates.
  2. Its guerrilla core was trained in Syria after its leadership was forced out of Turkiye at the end of the 1970s.
  3. It is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union.
  4. Its armed campaign was launched from, and drew its principal base among, the Kurds of the Zagros mountains of western Iran.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4

Q3. With reference to Abdullah Ocalan, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. He founded the PKK in the late 1970s and has been held in Turkish custody continuously since his capture in 1999
  • B. He directed the PKK from exile in northern Iraq throughout the insurgency and was the first militant to be granted parole in 2026
  • C. He was sentenced to death for treason in 1999 and the sentence was carried out, after which the PKK was led entirely by a collective council
  • D. He was expelled from the PKK's leadership in 1999 and has had no role whatsoever in its subsequent decisions

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Abdullah Ocalan's legal position in 1999-2002 as compared with his position under Turkiye's 2026 conditional pardon legislation: 1. He was convicted of treason in 1999 and sentenced to death, the sentence being commuted to life imprisonment after Turkiye abolished the death penalty in 2002. 2. He was captured in Nairobi in 1999 and flown to Turkiye, and has since been held on Imrali Island. 3. Because the 2026 legislation extends relief to those sentenced to life imprisonment before 2005, Ocalan falls within the class of militants eligible to apply under it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. He was convicted of treason in 1999 and sentenced to death, the sentence being commuted to life imprisonment after Turkiye abolished the death penalty in 2002.
  2. He was captured in Nairobi in 1999 and flown to Turkiye, and has since been held on Imrali Island.
  3. Because the 2026 legislation extends relief to those sentenced to life imprisonment before 2005, Ocalan falls within the class of militants eligible to apply under it.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Which of the following are correctly identified as provisions or features of the conditional pardon Bill passed by Turkiye's Parliament in August 2026? 1. Postponement of investigations and trials for five or ten years according to the gravity of the offence, with cases dropped if no fresh terror-related offence occurs. 2. A window of six months within which eligible persons must apply, reckoned from publication of the enabling decision in the official gazette. 3. Automatic and immediate release of all convicted PKK members, including those convicted of intentional killings. 4. Oversight of the process by a 51-member National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee constituted by Parliament in 2025. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Postponement of investigations and trials for five or ten years according to the gravity of the offence, with cases dropped if no fresh terror-related offence occurs.
  2. A window of six months within which eligible persons must apply, reckoned from publication of the enabling decision in the official gazette.
  3. Automatic and immediate release of all convicted PKK members, including those convicted of intentional killings.
  4. Oversight of the process by a 51-member National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee constituted by Parliament in 2025.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4

Q6. The conditional pardon Bill passed by Turkiye's Grand National Assembly in August 2026 becomes operative only upon which one of the following?

  • A. Confirmation by Turkiye's National Security Council that the PKK has disbanded and surrendered its weapons
  • B. Certification by the 51-member parliamentary committee that PKK fighters have withdrawn to northern Iraq
  • C. A ruling of Turkiye's Constitutional Court upholding the Bill on a reference by the President
  • D. Approval of the terms of the conditional pardon in a nationwide referendum

Q7. Consider the following statements about the sequence of the Turkiye-PKK peace process before the 2026 legislation: 1. A ceasefire declared by the PKK in March 2025 preceded its decision, taken in May 2025, to disarm and disband. 2. The renewed initiative was signalled in October 2024, when Turkish officials indicated an openness to ending the conflict if the PKK disbanded and eased Ocalan's isolation in prison. 3. The decision to dissolve the organisation was taken at a congress held in northern Iraq in July 2025, at which the PKK's weapons were formally handed over to Turkiye's National Security Council. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A ceasefire declared by the PKK in March 2025 preceded its decision, taken in May 2025, to disarm and disband.
  2. The renewed initiative was signalled in October 2024, when Turkish officials indicated an openness to ending the conflict if the PKK disbanded and eased Ocalan's isolation in prison.
  3. The decision to dissolve the organisation was taken at a congress held in northern Iraq in July 2025, at which the PKK's weapons were formally handed over to Turkiye's National Security Council.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. The renewed Turkiye-PKK peace initiative of October 2024 was set in motion by a public suggestion from the leader of which one of the following Turkish political parties?

  • A. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the nationalist coalition partner of the ruling party
  • B. The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), the principal pro-Kurdish party in Parliament
  • C. The Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party founded in the Kemalist tradition
  • D. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Q9. Which of the following are correctly identified with reference to Turkiye's political and legislative set-up? 1. Justice and Development Party (AKP) — the party of President Erdogan, which contested the 2018 parliamentary election in alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party, the alliance winning a majority. 2. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) — the nationalist party allied to the ruling party, whose leader Devlet Bahceli backed the opening to the PKK. 3. DEM Party — the pro-Kurdish party which, along with the AKP and the MHP, supported the 2026 conditional pardon Bill. 4. Grand National Assembly — Turkiye's bicameral legislature, whose 600-member lower house passed the 2026 Bill by 468 votes to 88. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Justice and Development Party (AKP) — the party of President Erdogan, which contested the 2018 parliamentary election in alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party, the alliance winning a majority.
  2. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) — the nationalist party allied to the ruling party, whose leader Devlet Bahceli backed the opening to the PKK.
  3. DEM Party — the pro-Kurdish party which, along with the AKP and the MHP, supported the 2026 conditional pardon Bill.
  4. Grand National Assembly — Turkiye's bicameral legislature, whose 600-member lower house passed the 2026 Bill by 468 votes to 88.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q10. The passage of warships of non-riparian powers through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles is regulated by Turkiye under which one of the following instruments?

  • A. The Montreux Convention of 1936, which also guarantees free passage to merchant shipping
  • B. The Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, which settled the frontiers of the Turkish Republic
  • C. The London Straits Convention of 1841, concluded among the European powers of the day
  • D. The Treaty of Sevres of 1920, imposed on the Ottoman Empire after the First World War

Q11. Officially designated administrative entities bearing the name 'Kurdistan' exist today in which one of the following pairs of countries?

  • A. Iran and Iraq
  • B. Turkiye and Syria
  • C. Iraq and Syria
  • D. Turkiye and Iran