In 2023, an order was made from the Iraqi government to exhume some of the bodies and transfer them to a different cemetery, as a highway would be built passing through the territory of the cemetery. This would be done to reduce traffic congestion. The decision was met with outrage amongst locals, despite a
fatwa from the local clerics that approved of the exhumation and transfer of the deceased. Around late 2023, locals of Karkh gathered outside the cemetery and protested against the exhumation. The families of the deceased were told to bury their dead in a different location without offering financial assistance, which is estimated in the million in Iraqi currency, or specifying an alternative to the grave sites. This decision caused widespread criticisms, demonstrations, and outrage throughout Baghdad, including residents of old Karkh, towards the government of
Muhammad Shi'a al-Sudani. The decision was compared to previous constructions around cemeteries in Baghdad during the era of former president
Saddam Hussein, such as the expansion of the Sheikh Ma'ruf Mosque in which barely any grave was exhumed or moved. == Notable burials ==