By Kamran Rehmat in Islamabad
Amid Barack Obama's inauguration as US president, the war on Gaza and the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan's media had until recently all but ignored the descent into hell of the Swat Valley in the North-West Frontier Province.
The valley has been transformed from a tourism magnet because of its alpine scenery into a valley stained with blood in recent months.
From banning female education and blowing up schools to the hanging of decapitated bodies in Mingora, the valley's main town, the reign of terror spearheaded by Maulana Fazalullah, a radical cleric, defies description.
Until recently, the 11-month old government in Islamabad was virtually oblivious to the chain of events that question the very territorial integrity of the country.
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That all changed, however, after radicals delivered on their promise of blowing up schools if they were not shut down by a January 15 deadline.
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This is a long and worthwhile article.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/01/200912512351598892.html