Pakistani president approves sharia in Swat valley

By Junaid Khan

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, has signed a regulation imposing Islamic law in the northwestern Swat valley as part of a deal to end Taliban violence.

The White House voiced disappointment, saying the decision went against U.S. goals of promoting democracy and human rights. Critics accuse Pakistan's government of demonstrating a lack of will to fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Zardari signed the regulation late Monday after the National Assembly passed a resolution recommending he approve it.

Many residents of the scenic valley, 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, hoped the agreement would bring peace after 18 months of bloodshed.

"As long as there's peace it doesn't matter what the law is," said Javed Ahmed, 26, a shopkeeper in Swat's main town of Mingora. "If sharia law can do that, that's just fine."

Surging violence across Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence through the northwest are reviving concerns about the stability of nuclear-armed Pakistan, an important U.S. ally vital to efforts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.

The government has struggled to come up with an effective strategy, alternating in different areas between military offensives and peace deals.

But the militants have been gaining strength while violence in both Pakistan and Afghanistan has been on the rise.