Put on cap and dont shave beard,Taliban tell Pak men

They said that after the expiry of the January 25 deadline,no man would be allowed to trim his beard as the Taliban were trying to establish a complete Islamic society.

The move was in the best interest of the people, they said.

The step is being seen as part of the Taliban’s efforts to implement their self-styled Islamic laws in Swat,located just 160 kms from Islamabad.

Taliban have already issued a diktat to the barbers in the valley to resist from shaving and trimming beards,following which all the barbers have displayed posters saying Shaving is banned at their salons.

Earlier,the militants have banned girls’ education from January 15. Some 400 private schools in the Swat valley of the North West Frontier Province closed down last week.

In the wake of the ban,the Taliban have destroyed at least seven more schools in Swat,including two that were blown early this morning.

The total number of schools torched or blown up by the militants has risen to nearly 190. The education of about 100,000 students,including 45,000 girls,has been affected by the destruction of these schools.

Though government officials have said state-run schools will reopen in March after the winter vacation,rights activists believe few girls will return to classes.

The Taliban have also set up Shariat courts across Swat to dispense justice according to Islamic laws. People accept the decisions of these courts under compulsion,media reports said.

Meanwhile,all office-bearers of the Awami National Party in Mingora,the main city in Swat,resigned on Tuesday shortly after the Taliban blew up the house of a party worker in Kabal sub-district.

The office-bearers said they had quit over the ANP-led provincial government’s anti-people policies and the Swat operation.

They also said they condemned the un-Islamic activities of the provincial government.

Over the past few months,the Taliban has targeted workers and leaders of the ANP and Pakistan People’s Party.

They have gunned down workers of the two parties and blown up their homes.

Political party workers,police officials and other government employees have been publicly announcing their resignations from their posts to avoid the wrath of the militants.