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Sharia law takes over in Swat

By Nick Paton Walsh

Updated on 24 March 2009

Life in Pakistan's Swat Valley under the Taliban is changing, with Islamic law on the streets of Mingora, the main city.

It was once called the Switzerland of Pakistan, an idyllic tourist haven in the mountains. But now Swat Valley is in the hands of the Taliban after the Pakistani government agreed to let them control the area in return for an end to months of fighting.

Critics accuse the government of surrendering, and the United States has been openly critical of the move.

But Pakistan's president said the deal would bring peace to the area and help them engage with more moderate militants.

This report begins with violent scenes of public floggings.

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