PESHAWAR, March 21: The Princess of Thailand, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, said here on Wednesday that Thai government was well aware of the sacrifices of people of Pakistan in the war against terrorism and supported its principled stance on the global issue.

She expressed these views during her visit to Islamia College University. She visited various faculties of the university and praised the educational standard and facilities provided to the students.

“Pakistan and Thailand are two friendly countries, tied in a bond of friendship through mutual respect and understanding,” she said.

The Thai princes appreciated the hospitality and bravery of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She extended all out support on behalf of Thai government to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in fields of education, health and social welfare.

The Thai princess also visited Peshawar Museum. “I feel happy that I could come here. This is the place I have known for a long time as my parents also came here 50 years ago,” she said.

The princess, after a tour of Peshawar Museum, seemed impressed with the rare collection of Buddha statues. In her brief interaction with media, she said that the museum had a good collection of artifacts, which were source of knowledge about human arts and culture.

Prof Nidaullah Sehrai, the curator of the museum, explained the history of each artifact of Gandhara period on display in the museum.

Minister for Sports, Tourism and Archaeology Syed Aqil Shah while welcoming the princess at Peshawar Museum said that such visits should continue.

He said that the provincial government was going to work more for preservation of monuments and archaeological sites. The Thai princess also met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kauser.

According to a handout, the governor proposed during the meeting that tourists from Thailand should be encouraged to visit the province and see the sites and monuments of Gandhara period.

Welcoming the visiting princess at a reception, which he had hosted at Governor’s House in her honour, the governor said that his government would facilitate tourists from Thailand if they wanted to visit the region.

The Thai princess thanked the governor and the people of the province for their warm welcome to her.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Karamatullah Khan Chagharmatti, provincial senior ministers Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Rahimdad Khan, ministers, parliamentarians, senior government officials, tribal elders and distinguished citizens of Peshawar also attended the ceremony.

The governor also talked about strong ties between Thailand and Pakistan. He said that neither Thailand nor its people were stranger to Pakistanis as both the nations had been enjoying cordial relations for more than half a century.

The governor thanked Princess Maha and the entourage from Thailand. —APP/Bureau