Terms of truce in Pakistan could raise flag in Washington
Holbrooke uneasy about Islamic militants in Swat

In a significant concession to Islamic militants battling the central government, Pakistani authorities agreed Monday to allow the imposition of Shariah, or Islamic law, in a one-time tourist destination just 100 miles north of Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.The change, the main provision of a cease-fire formally announced Monday by both sides, is expected to set off alarm bells in Washington.

The Obama administration has urged Pakistan's civilian government to move decisively against Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants in tribal areas along the Afghan border, where Shariah is already in effect, and elsewhere in Pakistan's volatile northwest.The decision appeared aimed at appeasing followers of a radical cleric, Mullah Fazlullah, who in late 2007 seized control of the scenic Swat Valley.

For months, Fazlullah's fighters have been terrorizing Swat residents, beheading police officers and burning down girls' schools, to which they object on religious grounds. Death threats are routinely made by the militants, who use illicit radio broadcasts to dictate Taliban-style social mores.

The legal system in Swat, which was ruled by a dynasty of princes until 1969, already had provisions allowing Islamic clerics to advise judges in state-run courts. But followers of Fazlullah maintained those measures were rarely employed and did not go far enough.Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has sent mixed signals about his government's policy toward Islamic militants. He has said that it is crucial to take on Taliban-style fighters, whom he blames for the assassination in December 2007 of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.