A contentious debate over what word to use for "university" – either the Dari "Danishgah" or the Pastho "Pohantoon" – impeded the approval of the Higher Education Law (HEL) once again in the Lower House on Wednesday.

The HEL consisting of seven chapters and 80 articles was sent to the Lower House for approval seven years ago and still has not been able to get an approval.

The Cultural and Religious Commission of Parliament presented the HEL to MPs on Wednesday for discussion and approval. Commission officials said that out of the nine chapters and 80 articles that comprise the law, debate over terminology used in the fifth paragraph of third article was enough to derail the approval process.

The debate erupted over the demand from a number of MPs for the elimination of the Pashto word for university, "Pohantoon," and its replacement with the Dari "Danishgah."
Several MPs emphasised that all the official languages should be given due importance. But, other MPs opposed this view and said that this is a petty matter, one should concentrate on getting the HEL approved.

"There is only one dispute in the HEL. MPs are not able to decide whether to use Dari or Pashto version. Once this dispute is settled, the Law will be put to vote," said Helai Arshad, head of the Religious and Cultural Committee of the Parliament.

The words "Danishgah" and "Pohantoon" in the HEL have become a cause of disagreement among the MPs leading to a constant delay in its approval.
"The Constitution has given the right to every citizen to communicate in the language of their choice. So, in this case "Danishgah" is a Dari word and must be used in the Law," said Asadullah Sadati, MP.

"The biggest insult to the Constitution is not to let someone speak his/her language, "Pohantoon" which is a Pashto word must be used. Also, the Dari word "Danishgah" should also be mentioned," said Farhad Azimi, MP.

However, several MPs suggested a way out and said that the issue must be put to vote. The word that gets maximum votes should be used.
"Both the words should be put to vote. More discussion on this issue will lead the Parliament to crisis," responded Nasima Niazi, MP.

"The High Court has clearly said that terminologies in the constitutionally recognised languages are very much accepted, we will not debate over it further," said Aryan Yoon, MP.

Meanwhile, a number of MPs feel that the discussion and subsequent delay in approving the HEL is a plan of the government. The MPs said that the government is trying to create differences among the MPs and divide them.

"We should concentrate on three national issues which are holding elections, prevent Loya Jirga and the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). But, the government is trying to deviate the focus of the MPs from core issues to matters of least importance," said Nilofa Abrahimi, MP.

Several MPs left the House in protest and due to lack of quorum the HEL was not approved.

With both side of the disagreement over terminology in the third article of the HEL appearing dug-in, it seems that an issue of semantics alone will remain the critical obstacle to the law's passage anytime soon.