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The government of Pakistan announced on Monday that it would accept Islamic Sharia Law to be implemented in its Swat Valley region, as part of a truce with local Taliban leaders. Militants had been demanding Sharia law, attacking opponents, burning scores of girls' schools and banning many forms of entertainment. Gun battles between Pakistani security forces and militants have killed hundreds, while up to a third of the valley's 1.5 million people have fled. A nuclear power with a growing economy, Pakistan's government is still struggling for control of the country, coping with internal clashes and terrorism, that can bleed over and involve neighbors and allies, including militant attacks in India, and excursions into Afghanistan - inviting U.S. military operations that follow the attackers back into Pakistan. Collected here are 40 recent photos from Pakistan, with a special acknowledgement to the artistry of AP Photographer Emilio Morenatti. ( 40 photos total)  Imran Zargul, 71, from the Pakistani tribal region of Bajur waits for donated food during a distribution at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Supporters of the Islamist political part Jamaat-e-Islami take part in a protest to show their solidarity with Kashmiris during an anti-India rally to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day, in Lahore, Pakistan on February 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Mohsin Raza) #
Younis Khan, captain of the Pakistan national cricket team is bowled by Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara (not pictured) during their second one-day international cricket match at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan on January 21, 2009. (REUTERS/Athar Hussain) #
A man holds two sheep on a motorcycle a long a road on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #
Shiite Muslim worshippers celebrate the end of Ashura by pounding their hands on their chest during a procession in Islamabad , Pakistan, on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. The holiday of Ashura is a time when Shiites remember the death in A.D. 680 of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, the event that led to the split in Islam between Shiites and Sunni Muslims. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #
A Pakistani vendor waits for customers as he holds heart-shaped balloons on a street in Islamabad on February 14, 2009. Valentine's Day has gained popularity in Muslim-dominated Pakistan recently. (Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images) #
Indian fishermen stand in a police lockup in Karachi February 6, 2009. Pakistani authorities have arrested 50 Indian fishermen and impounded nine boats for illegally entering Pakistan's territorial waters, a Pakistani security official said on Friday. (REUTERS/Athar Hussain) #
Pakistani men watch a local film in a cinema in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. Entertainers in northwest Pakistan face an escalating threat from Taliban-led militants who consider music, singing and other such arts un-Islamic. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #
A Pakistani man waits for customers at his photo studio decorated with film stars in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. Entertainers in northwest Pakistan have been kidnapped and killed by Taliban-led militants, while others have fled, quit or watched work opportunities dwindle. Criminal gangs seeking to extort money are believed to have gotten in on the act as overall security deteriorates. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #
Afghan refugees weave carpet at the Kochi refugee camp on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan February 12, 2009. There are two million Afghans now in Pakistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. (REUTERS/Athar Hussain) #
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