Taliban declares an indefinite ceasefire in Pakistan's Swat after government agreed to establish the insurgents' rule in the restive valley.
A Taliban commander on Tuesday agreed to extend a 10-day ceasefire, which had been scheduled to expire Wednesday.
"Today the shura (council) met under Maulana Fazlullah and decided to hold a ceasefire for an indefinite period," Taliban's spokesman Muslim Khan said, adding that "We are releasing all prisoners unconditionally. Today we released four paramilitary soldiers and we will release all security personnel in our custody as a goodwill gesture."
The announcement comes a day after the army confirmed it was halting military operations in the region.
The developments come after pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammad spearheaded a deal with provincial officials on last Monday in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Sufi, in a press conference, called the local Taliban and the government to remain peaceful, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The peace agreement binds the government to implement Taliban-style judicial system in the Malakand division, which comprises Swat and its adjoining areas.
The local government has hailed the truce. The deal, however, raised alarm among moderate forces amid concerns it will extend extremists' influence toward settled areas in Pakistan.
Thousands of Fazlullah-led insurgents waged a violent campaign to enforce Wahabbi-inspired laws, which included beheading opponents and bombing girls' schools in the troubled region.
Past peace deals between the government and militants have quickly collapsed.
Pakistani President Asif Zardari says the Taliban is required to lay down their arms as part of the deal.
But Media reports said Tuesday there was no sign of disarmament and that Fazlullah had effectively won control of Swat.
Swat, once a popular holiday destination, has been blighted by violence since 2007.
The Taliban militants have already set up a parallel administration with courts, taxes, patrols and checkpoints in the restive Swat valley and its surrounding areas.View
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