PESHAWAR: Princess Ashraf Pehlavi, the sister ofthe Shahanshah ofIran,today [Jan 20] expressed happiness over the `expanding ties and contacts` between the women`s organisations of Iran and Pakistan. Speaking at a ladies reception held on the lawns of the Governor`s House here this afternoon, Princess Ashraf looked forward to still closer relations between the women of the two countries. The NWFP Governor, MajGen (Retd) Sayad Ghawas, was present at the reception besides a large number of prominent ladies of Peshawar.

Princess Ashraf, who paid a short visit to Peshwar today, noted with pleasure the `remarkable progress` of the Pakistani women in the advancement of their goals in the various spheres of socio-economic and cultural activity. Referring to the social status of women in Iran, she stated that under the leadership of His Imperial Majesty the Shahanshah, Iranian women had taken great strides forward. `We have made solid progress in the economic and legislative fields and in changing the traditional static attitudes of both men and women regarding women`s place in society,` she said. Princess Ashraf felt that the Iranian women were now increasingly aware [of] their rights... .