A RACE harmony group has called for a truce in a war of words and vowed to fight on to promote links between Asians and whites.

Burnley and Pendle Racial Equality Council has been stunned by a serious of blows in recent weeks.

But its new chairman, Nelson GP Dr Qazi Jehangir, appealed for reconciliation and said he would ask three executive members who walked out this month to reconsider their actions.

The REC has been rocked by resignations and a series of damaging criticisms by leading members.

Secretary Azhar Ali, a Pendle councillor, said personal differences were damaging the REC's work and image.

Mayor of Pendle, Councillor Frank Clifford, launched a surprise attack and accused REC chiefs of not tackling racial tensions in the area, describing the group as "a miserable failure."

Long-serving REC member Norman Gregson resigned saying the group had thrown its doors open to racism and "crackpot" organisations.

Executive members Councillor Abdul Aziz, treasurer Rashid Qadri and Miar Khan quit following the annual elections in which no-one from the indigenous population was elected.

County Councillor Joe French walked out of a meeting after dubbing the organisation the Racial Inequality Council.

Dr Jehangir, who was elected chairman on June 18, appealed for calm and pledged to continue the REC's work in promoting racial harmony between communities.

He said: "I've been given this mess to sort out to which I was not a party.

"I and my team will be going ahead from here full throttle to take the work of the REC forward and put this behind us. I want to hear positive suggestions from everybody from all areas of the community.

"We don't want to be labelled Asian or English. We are all British. What we want to see is the productivity of the REC increased, not an argument about faces."

Dr Jehangir pointed out that REC stalwarts William Ashworth and Michael Landriau only missed out on being elected by two votes. "That shows the election was fair and square," he added. .

Raja Khan, chairman of the Pendle Itefaq League, said: "We have read with dismay the reports of the concern of some Asian members about our REC's membership and the controversy of the bogus or bona fide status of voluntary sector organisations.

"Negative media literature, sniping at each other, pointing out all the failures of the REC in the past, and discussing trivial issues will not help inter-racial matters."

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