Lawmakers, Muslims criticise Prince over comments

Uk: Lawmakers, Muslim groups and the Pakistani public criticised Prince Harry on Sunday after a British newspaper published video footage of him using offensive and racist language.

Harry, third in line to the British throne and an army lieutenant, issued an apology on Saturday after the News of The World reported that he had used offensive terms to refer to people from Pakistan and people of Arab descent.

Britain’s opposition Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, said Harry’s comments undermined work to root out racism from the country’s armed forces. “It is obviously a completely unacceptable thing to say,” Cameron told the BBC.

The paper reported that Harry made the remarks in 2006 during a visit to Cyprus to carry out training exercises with fellow military cadets.

In part of the video apparently filmed by Harry himself, he refers to one colleague as “our little paki friend” - using a derogatory term for people of Pakistani origin.

Iftikhar Raja told the BBC the cadet was his nephew Ahmed Raza Khan, who he said is now a captain in Pakistan’s army. He said Khan graduated from the Sandhurst military school in 2006 and received an award from Queen Elizabeth II as the best overseas officer cadet.

“We expect better from our Royal Family on whom we spend millions and millions of pounds for training and schooling,” Raja told the BBC.

London, Monday, AP