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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's former prime minster Nouri al-Maliki calls the quest for independence in the Kurdistan region "unrealistic and baseless," claiming the issue is being used for "political gains."In an interview with the Iranian state media, the chairman of the ruling Daawa Party raised doubt about the Kurdish referendum and said parts of the Kurdish political leadership is unlikely to support independence from Iraq."The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Change Movement (Gorran) do not seek independence nor do they want to break away from the rest of the country," said Maliki who visited Sulaimani last month where he had meetings with the PUK and Gorran about the upcoming elections in 2018.The 66-year-old Shiite politician was removed from the post of prime minister in December 2014 after the takeover of Mosul by the Islamic State (ISIS) militants.Maliki also raised doubts about the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) efforts for a referendum and said "the KDP and its leadership are aware that it will not bear fruit.""The KDP uses this issue to gain more concessions from the central government. It incites public emotions with the question of Kurdish independent state. This is all too political and without real value," he said.Kurdish President Masoud Barzani has said the anticipated referendum for independence will likely take place before the end of 2016 and will include the so-called disputed territories outside the Kurdistan region, such as Kirkuk and the Yezidi town of Shingal.