Pakistani security forces ordered a curfew in areas of the Swat Valley, where the army is battling pro-Taliban militants trying to impose Islamic law in the region, Bloomberg reported.
"Any body and vehicle violating curfew orders will be shot at sight," the Swat Media Center said in a statement, according to the official Associated Press of Pakistan. The indefinite curfew, imposed from 5 p.m. yesterday, applies in Bara Bandai, Koza Bandai, Nangolai, Chota Kalam and Shakardara, it said.
Swat, a once popular tourist destination located northeast of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, has been the scene of fighting for the past year between the army and supporters of pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah.
Militants in Swat last month demanded an end to classes for girls above Grade 4 and threatened to blow up schools that violate the ban. The Taliban banned girls from attending school during their rule of Afghanistan.
A girls' school was attacked with explosives in the city of Mingora in Swat on the night of Jan. 21-22, destroying the building, APP said. It was the 184th school to be attacked by militants, 169 of which were for girls, according to the report.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Jan. 19 he would meet with the army chief, regional leaders and law enforcement agencies to formulate a strategy to deal with unrest in Swat, APP reported at the time.
Gilani told lawmakers that military action wasn't the only solution to the security problems in the valley and expressed hope a better strategy would bring the situation under control.
