The government of Pakistan announced last week that it had made a truce with the Taliban in the Swat region, a mountainous area in the country's northwest that lies just 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.

Swat used to be a favorite destination for tourists, until the Taliban moved in and took over two years ago to fight the Pakistani army. But now the two sides have struck a deal. The Taliban will stop attacking Pakistani forces. In return, the government will enforce Sharia law.

The deal worries many in the West, particularly women's rights advocates. Yasmeen Hassan, deputy director of programs for the New York-based organization Equality Now, is an international women's rights lawyer from Pakistan. We spoke with her from New York city.

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