Pakistani authorities and pro-Taleban militants declared a ceasefire Friday in the volatile Swat Valley in the latest bid to curtail an explosion of violence along the Afghan border, officials said. The cease-fire followed talks between representatives of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government and militant leader Maulana Fazlullah whose armed followers grabbed control of much of the valley last year. Pakistan's army responded with a military operation that banished militants to the mountains and left scores dead. It was a sign of the instability in Pakistan's northwestern frontier regions where militants have challenged the government's authority. “After hours of talks, we have reached a ceasefire in entire Swat valley,” said Wajid Ali Khan, a provincial minister after the talks held in the northwestern town of Chakdara. He said that more negotiations would follow to bring “peace and stability” in the province. Muslim Abdur Rasheed, an aide to Fazlullah, confirmed the cease-fire would take effect on Saturday. He described Friday's first round of talks as a “confidence-building initiative.” He said the two sides have yet to discuss the militants” demands, which include the imposition of Islamic law in the valley, the withdrawal of the army, release of detainees and compensation for damage suffered by local people in the military operation. Neither Rasheed nor Khan would say when the next round of talks would be held. The ceasefire is the latest sign that Pakistan's new national government, led by the party of assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto, wants to use dialogue and development to curb militancy across the border region. The NWFP government has joined the effort. Musharraf also tried striking truces with some groups – deals that US officials complained gave Pakistani militants as well as Taleban and Al-Qaeda fighters a chance to build up strength. Pakistan's civilian administration, elected in February, is seeking dialogue with Taleban sympathizers, a break from the policy of US-backed President Pervez Musharraf, who has mostly sought to tame extremists through military force. Since Pakistan's new government took power, militant attacks have subsided. Last month, Pakistan freed Fazlullah's father-in-law, Sufi Muhammad, from six years in custody in return for an agreement from his group to renounce violence. On Thursday, suspected insurgents killed a soldier and wounded another near a checkpoint in Kabbal, a town in the Swat Valley. Also this week, militants set fire to two girls' schools in the valley.
