ISLAMABAD , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammad has announced he has pulled out of a peace deal in the violence-plagued Swat Valley , saying the government is not serious about implementing Islamic law , or sharia , in the region . Supporters of cleric Sufi Mohammad gather as they march during a peace rally in the Swat Valley . Mohammad brokered the cease-fire in late February between the Pakistani government and his son-in-law , Maulana Fazlullah , who commands the Taliban in Swat Valley . With the deal , the area would come under sharia law , which -- under the Taliban 's strict interpretation -- would prevent women from even being seen in public without their husbands or fathers . Mohammad has set up a protest camp at the headquarters of his son-in-law 's Taliban-aligned group , Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi ( TNSM ) , according to a police official . The headquarters are located in Batkhelah in the Malakand agency of North West Frontier Province . Speaking to reporters Thursday , Mohammad expressed frustration that President Asif Ali Zardari had not signed off on the peace deal . He blamed the Pakistani government for any bloodshed that might follow . Watch how peace talks have hit a hurdle » . Mohammad 's pullout does not automatically mean the deal is over . The Taliban , itself , has not announced whether or not it too is pulling out . A lawmaker with the Awami National Party ( ANP ) of the North West Frontier Province -- where Swat is located -- said he did not expect fighting to resume . `` God willing , there wo n't be anything that happens to take this [ peace ] out of our hands , '' said Hashem Baber of the ANP . The province 's government will send a contingent to meet with Mohammed and hear his complaints . `` We 'll meet and talk and if they have an complaints , we 'll try to push those away and solve the situation to get back to the peace deal , '' Baber said . Critics of the cease-fire have called it a major concession by the Pakistani government in an attempt to hold off Taliban attacks . Indeed , after the deal went into effect , Fazlullah proclaimed himself the Emir of Swat . Swat Valley was once one of Pakistan 's biggest tourist destinations . It is near the Afghanistan border and is 186 miles ( 300 kilometers ) from the capital , Islamabad . The central government has long exerted little control in the area , but it launched an intense military offensive in late July to flush out militants from areas of the North West Frontier Province . As retaliation for the military presence , the Taliban carried out a series of deadly attacks , beheadings and destruction of girls ' schools . They also continued to gain ground , setting up checkpoints throughout the area . Sufi Mohammad was released from jail last year by Pakistani authorities after he agreed to cooperate with the government . He was detained in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan . Fazlullah took over TNSM during Sufi Mohammed 's jail stint and vowed to continue his fight to impose fundamentalist Islamic law in the region . Last May , Pakistan 's government announced it reached a peace deal with militants in Swat Valley . In the months that followed , the Taliban seized control of the region and carried out a violent campaign against government officials , including local politicians . The head of the secular Awami National Party -- which represents the region -- was forced to flee to Islamabad amid death threats from the Taliban . Pakistan is under enormous pressure to control the militants within its borders , blamed for launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting militants . The United States -- using unmanned drones -- has carried out several airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected militant targets , including one on Wednesday that killed three suspected Taliban militants in the tribal region . Such incursions have infuriated many Pakistanis and their leaders . Pakistan 's military operation in the region is unpopular among Pakistanis , but efforts to deal diplomatically with militants have not worked in the past . Pakistan 's previous leader , Gen. Pervez Musharraf , reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a stronger foothold in the region . CNN 's Zein Basravi contributed to this report .
Pro-Taliban cleric pulls out of peace deal in violence-plagued Swat Valley . The cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, was a key figure behind the assassination attempt on Bhutto's life last year. Mohammad brokered cease-fire between Pakistani government and son-in-law .