The North West Frontier Province's government is led by a Pashtun nationalist party which is a junior partner in the federal coalition and a key player in the peace effort.

The ruling parties blame the more forceful tactics of President Pervez Musharraf, a stalwart U.S. ally, for stoking Islamic extremism and the spread of militant religious movements to previous peaceful area, such as Swat.

But Western officials have expressed concern that any deals will be poorly enforced and simply allow Taliban and Al Qaeda militants to execute more attacks in Afghanistan and plot terror strikes in the West.