Word: talibans
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...Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan is now the domain of Taliban militants. Bombings have become commonplace in many towns, as have hostage-takings and public hangings. The craftwork is gone. Local music stations have been replaced with extremist radio propaganda. Women have been banned from walking the streets in many locations, and at least a dozen of the valley's once bustling resorts have been forced to close, including Malam Jabba, which militants torched last year. "I have many nice memories there, so I am very sad about it," says Nisar, a photographer from Lahore. Even as cross-border tensions...
...controversial truce between the Taliban and the government is giving Nisar and many other Pakistanis hope that they may yet return to a vacation land that once held so many pleasant memories. On Tuesday, the Taliban indefinitely extended a fragile 10-day cease-fire with the Pakistani military, granting more time for peace talks to end more than a year of fighting. Last week's agreement to impose a form of Islamic law in Swat has many feeling encouraged that this turbulent region will finally see a return to calm. "The fighting with the military is what made it dangerous...
That remains to be seen. Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and author of a best-selling book about the Taliban, says the recent cease-fire is merely the calm before the storm. "The Taliban do not stop at one demand," explains Rashid. "All this points to a collapse of will of both the army and the government to deal with this in a more logical manner...
...Less clear is whether the Taliban will accept those terms. On Saturday night, after two days of talks with his father-in-law, Fazlullah, in a speech carried live by Pakistan's main news channels, said his cohorts were still discussing Mohammed's proposals. "We will consult again after the 10-day cease-fire ... We will also observe a permanent cease-fire if the government takes practical steps," he said without elaborating...
...fate of the Swat deal clear in Islamabad, where it has yet to be ratified by President Asif Ali Zardari, whose government is under pressure from Western allies to take a tougher line against the Taliban. Many in his own party privately express misgivings. "What will stop them from going further?" says one member of parliament who asked not to be named. "I don't want my wife or daughter to wear a burqa. What if they don't lay down their weapons? They could be in Peshawar next, or even Islamabad...