The provincial Government voted in by the people of the NWFP, the 'secular' ANP, and many of the political representatives from Swat, and many people of Swat, seem to have wanted this peace deal and the Shariah Courts to see if it could put an end to the violence.
The violence seems to have largely subsided - it remains to be seen what will happen when the Taliban take the law into their hands, and if the courts rule against them.
This is one of the articles from sky news today, which shows taliban is implementing its own version of Sharia laws (or may be I am interpreting it wrong). I cannot post the link as I still don't have 15 posts.
Sharia Law: Blood Money Or Deadly Revenge?
The steps of the Sharia court are filled with men lined up in single file waiting for their cases to be heard.
They are all involved in the "drugs business", growing poppies and selling opium.
And here in the Khyber Agency - one of Pakistan's semi autonomous tribal areas - the legal system uses religious courts based on the Koran.
It is quick. Their cases are all dealt with within minutes.
The long-haired, bearded men who form the armed guard inside and outside the court sit passively cradling guns and watching the proceedings.
They belong to Lashkar e Islam, the militant group in control in Khyber.
A group of five older men sit in a circle on the floor at the opposite end of the room.
The man making the decision is Misri Gul, the deputy to Mangal Bagh - the commander of Laskar e Islam, who is also the head of the Sharia court.
The key decisions are all made by him or passed down through his deputy.
The drug farmers are told to close down their businesses within five days. They all leave strangely happy.
If they do not, they know they will face punishment - flogging, hefty fines... or worse.
Misri Gul said: "Before we set up Sharia court, it was heaven for the criminals.
"The government was protecting these criminals and their crimes. We have succeeded and cut crime by about 8%."
The defendants all talk about how much better the current system is. It is swift. They feel it is fair and it has a strong deterrent factor to it.
It can be harsh and it can be final and everyone knows that.
Two men who have been found guilty of kidnapping and killing a taxi driver are taken outside. They are blindfolded.
Their victim's relatives have been given two options. They can claim blood money in compensation from the accused - a sum of two million rupees is mentioned, a veritable fortune here.
Or they can take the other option: revenge. They can decide the alleged murderers should die and they can pull the triggers themselves.
They take the second option. The men are placed up against a brick wall. The crowd that has gathered are held back.
The victim's relatives step forward. They are almost on top of the two accused but still the first few bullets do not deliver the killer blow.
One stays standing for what seems like several seconds, before they both crumple to the ground and the crowd surges forward.
Justice has been done and been seen to be done.
