Taliban's advance raises concerns about Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Militants made their presence felt closer to Islamabad on Thursday, raising fears throughout Pakistan and the world that the capital and the nation were increasingly vulnerable.

The deteriorating situation prompted calls from foreign leaders and Pakistan-based diplomats urging the government to counter the growing threat.

The Northwest Frontier Province sent a few hundred paramilitary forces Thursday to the district of Buner, about 60 miles from Islamabad, after Taliban forces took control of much of the area this week. Most were believed to have remained inside government buildings without engaging the militants, although there were unconfirmed reports of one policeman dying in a gunfight.

Taliban fighters from the nearby Swat Valley have infiltrated the area in recent days, emboldened by a government-sanctioned peace deal allowing them to enforce Shariah, or Islamic law, in the valley, a one-time tourist paradise.

Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gillani said in Islamabad that the government would safeguard against any violation of the peace agreement reached in the Swat Valley. "The government will not allow anyone to challenge the government," he said.

In Buner, the Taliban remained largely in control despite Thursday's stepped-up paramilitary presence. "We will not leave the area," said a Taliban commander, Mufti Bashir.

Since entering Buner, the Taliban have reportedly set up checkpoints, started patrolling roads and ordered barbershops to stop shaving beards, which are favored by Islamic militants. The moves have prompted some residents to flee.

A meeting between Taliban representatives and tribal elders ended with the militants making some concessions but no pledge to withdraw from Buner.

There were reports Thursday that fighters from the Swat Taliban also entered another neighboring district, Shangla, said a security official who agreed to discuss the situation only if not identified.

Militants have made no secret of their desire to see Shariah imposed across the country. The United States is especially concerned because it considers stability in Pakistan, a nuclear power, and rooting out its militant sanctuaries critical to success in the Afghan war.

Officials hope to avoid a replay of the Swat conflict in Buner. In Swat, some two years of clashes between the Taliban and security forces killed hundreds and caused up to a third of the one-time tourist haven's 1.5 million residents to leave their homes.

After Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told U.S. lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday that the Pakistani government was "basically abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists," Islamabad has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity.

Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, telephoned Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday. A vague statement issued a few hours later said the two discussed security issues and Zardari's forthcoming trip to the United States.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Gillani to express her concern. And a group of Western diplomats met with Pakistani lawmakers throughout the day in a bid to assess the government's likely response to the threat.

Supporters of the Swat deal, hammered out in February and signed into law by Zardari last week, had contended that it would secure peace and divide militant factions. But any breathing room or disunity was apparently short-lived.

"They're very organized," said Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia." "They're a faction of the main Taliban, and they're spreading out from Swat to different valleys."

The Taliban's rule in Swat has been characterized by the burning of girls schools, killing and beating of officials who opposed its rule, and punishment for unrelated men and women seen together in public.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.