Pamela Constable from Peshawar in The Washington Post:
The Pakistani government, desperate to restore peace to a Taliban-infested valley once known as the “Switzerland of Pakistan,” agreed Monday to enforce strict Islamic law in the surrounding district near the Afghan border, conceding to a long-standing demand by local Islamist leaders who in turn pledged to ask the fighters to lay down their arms.
In announcing the agreement, Pakistani officials asserted that the adoption of Sharia law would bring swift and fair justice to the Swat Valley, where people have long complained of legal corruption and delays. They said the new system would have “nothing in common” with the draconian rule of the Taliban militia that ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, during which thieves’ hands were amputated and adulterers were stoned to death.
More here and here. And the Dawn report on the Malakand sharia deal
Writ of the state
Dawn comment: There is no percentage in talking to people who despise the values one holds dearest and are committed to inflicting death and destruction aimed at overthrowing the state of Pakistan. There is no scope here for negotiation until – and that time is still distant – the Pakistan government and military can dictate terms and talk to the Taliban from a position of strength. The deals cut in the past in sheer desperation encouraged the militants. They sent a signal that the Tehrik-i-Taliban was in the ascendancy and could call the shots as it pleased. They allowed the militants to regroup and recruit more unemployed, brainwashed young men who have been led to believe that the west (all of it, without exception) is evil, that democracy is abhorrent and Pakistani political leaders who espouse secular values and enjoy popular support are worthy of death. More
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