PESHAWAR, July 27: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Tuesday welcomed a change in the behaviour of people who are demanding education for their daughters.

“The story in the NWFP is similar to that of the other provinces where social taboos confined women to their traditional roles. We are enlightened people, but how many of us allow our womenfolk to participate in decision-making other than bringing up children. Now, the winds of change are blowing across the NWFP, people are demanding education for their children,” he said at a reception.

The function was organized to mark the preview screening of a documentary on mountain women Taller than the Mountains arranged by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme at a hotel here.

Based on the hardships women face in the northern region of Pakistan, the 22-minute documentary goes to show how things are changing for them for better as Stephen F. Rasmussen, the general manager of AKRSP, remarked: “We have seen a lot of change in the past 20 years. Many of these changes have been positive”.

The governor emphasized the need for an effective participation of women in decision making, especially about the socio-economic uplift activities. He said that by ignoring more than 50 per cent of the country’s population, the country could not bring about any real change.

The reception was held to mark the “International Year of Mountains” and was attended among others by US Ambassador Nancy Powell and US Consul Angy Brien. Earlier, the AKRSP general manager said his organization was engaged in the social activities for the last two decades and added that the AKRSP would continue to contribute in capacity building of people at the village level, encouraging women participation through organized communities.

LAW AND ORDER: The governor on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s intention to root out the criminal elements and smash their hideouts at all costs.