Sharia courts were formally inaugurated on March 12 by cleric Sufi Mohammad, whose son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah is the Taliban leader in Swat. The four courts which re-opened were in the Khwazakhel, Kabal, Varikot and Matta areas, all considered to be Taliban strongholds. Last month, the NWFP government signed an agreement with Sufi Mohammad's proscribed Tanzim-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) for the implementation of the Sharia justice system. Sufi Mohammad, who opposes militancy, led thousands of TNSM workers into Swat to set up a peace camp there and to start talks with Maulana Fazlullah1.

• 1. “Sharia law begins in Swat valley,” BBC News, March 12, 2009, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7939495.stm