Revolutionary Committee of Qatif

The Revolutionary Committee of Qatif (': اللجنة الثورية القطيف''') was the name of the Ba'athist that ruled Qatif from the Ba'athist military coup d'état in 1961 to the creation of the Arab Republic of Qatif in June 1972. During this time the official name of the country was simply "Qatif" (Arabic: القطيف).

Following a period of intense political unrest in Qatif a group of military officers led by Mustafa al-Karim overthrew the al-Tahir dynasty which had ruled Qatif as a sultanate since 1729. The new military government quickly turned Qatif into a led by the Qatifi Ba'ath Party which was led by al-Karim. The legislature was dissolved as a temporary government known as the Revolutionary Committee (which consisted of military officers and senior Ba'athists) ruled by decree in a continuous state of enforced. al-Karim, who served as the Chairman of the Committee and the regional secretary of Ba'ath Party, was the de facto of the country which followed an,  ideology.

Under the Revolutionary Committee Qatif went through profound social, economic and political change. Many businesses and industries were nationalised with being utilised as the country industrialised and modernised through land reform and redistributive policies. and was introduced as well as numerous infrastructure and housing projects being undertaken. This resulted in a dramatic raise in living standards alongside life expectancy and literacy rates. Secularisation was enforced with Islamic law being banned and women being treated equally to men in the eyes of the law following the enactment of the 1962 Revised Penal Code, with women's rights becoming a government priority.

However the new laws also saw political dissent heavily repressed. Prison camps were built as a secret police (known as the Idarat al-Mukhabarat al-Qatif, or simply the al-Mukhabarat) was used to spy on the majority of the population as well as torture and execute political prisoners. The secularisation measures saw numerous mosques closed down, Islamic clothing banned, many religious figures imprisoned and even the boarder to closed causing many citizens to be unable to perform the. It is estimated that around 2,000 people were killed in political purges under the Revolutionary Committee.

Qatif also changed its foreign policy whilst under the Committee becoming aligned towards the and other Arab Nationalist states such as  and  having previously been allied with the  as well as being part of. Qatif aided Arab forces in the after which it entered a period of economic downturn. In 1970 Qatif nationalised its petroleum indsutry, prompting economic sanctions to be placed on it by its former colonial master Britain who previously controlled Qatifi oil. Harsh austerity measures, economic depression, state oppression, and disagreements within the regime led to the outbreak of civil war in 1971 fuelled by sectarian tensions and geopolitical alliances. The war ended when rebel leader Jamil Abdul was captured by Qatifi government forces. In December 1971 al-Karim announced multi-party elections were to be held the next year. In 1972 the Revolutionary Committee was dissolved and the Arab Republic of Qatif declared in its place, although al-Karim and the Ba'ath Party still held control following rigged elections.