A mini-Taliban state in making

It has come full-circle. The friends-turned-foes say they are friends again. The latest peace agreement between the Pakistan government and the Taliban could well cease hostilities in the serene Swat Valley, but the price of peace might prove too high. The deal, finalised on 21 May, is a unique quid pro quo: the Taliban has agreed to respect the writ of the state, in return for the government's commitment to enforce the writ of Allah, by implementing Sharia law in the country's mountainous northern Malakand area.

The agreement, clinched by representatives of the government of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) is, however, somewhat limited in scope, and will cover only six districts of the province – Swat, Shangla, Bunair, Dir Upper, Dir Lower and Chitral. As such, it will not be implemented in the seven Federally Administered Tribal Agencies (FATA) along the border with Afghanistan, which have been witness to Taliban militancy following the US-led coalition attack on Afghanistan in 2001. However, the contents of the agreement with the Swat Taliban are indicative of the extent to which the government is ready to go to achieve peace in militancy-stricken areas. "Separate channels are being used to engage with all groups, in an effort to stop violence which has paralysed our lives in the country," said a Home Ministry official. "We hope we'll be able to bring everybody on board to protect the interests of the country."