KABUL – An Afghan lawmaker has warned the British embassy in Kabul of massive protests regarding the program name change by the British Broadcasting Corporation from BBC Persian to BBC Dari, calling it a provocative move.

The Lower House, Wolesi Jirga, lawmaker Abdul Latif Pedram, took the issue to the general session of the parliament amid ongoing controversies over BBC’s step.

He called the move as absurd and called for immediate intervention and steps to resolve the issue or massive civil movements would be organized near the embassy compound.

Pedram also warned that the civil movements and protests could lead to the closure of the BBC’s bureau office in Kabul.

The controversial topic emerged few days ago as hundreds of thousands of people have taken the issue to the social media, sparking heated debate among the people.

There are mixed reactios regarding the controversial topic and name change of the program but the majority oppose with the step, insisting that Persian is among the formal languages of Afghanistan, not Dari.

The heated exchange of criticisms and support regarding the controversial issue had also led to some believing that the move has political motives hidden behind it.