ISLAMABAD , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan announced a 10-day cease-fire on Sunday in Pakistan 's Swat Valley , a volatile region in North West Frontier Province that is largely controlled by the Taliban . The Taliban says it has agreed a 10-day cease-fire with Pakistani forces in the Swat Valley . The Taliban are holding talks with the North West Frontier Province 's government in the town of Timagera in the province 's Lower Dir district , he said . Taliban leader Sufi Mohammad is heading negotiations for the militants . There was no immediate confirmation of the cease-fire from the Pakistani government . Swat Valley was once Pakistan 's biggest tourist destination until it was overrun by militants led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah . The valley boasted the country 's only ski resort and was once a draw for trout-fishing enthusiasts . It is believed to be the deepest advance by militants into Pakistan 's settled areas -- meaning areas outside its tribal region along the border with Afghanistan . The negotiations are the latest attempt by Pakistan 's civilian government -- which took power last year -- to achieve peace through diplomacy in areas where Taliban and al Qaeda leaders are believed to have free rein . Swat has been overrun by forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah 's banned hardline Islamic group , Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi ( TNSM ) which has allied itself with Taliban fighters . TNSM was once led by Sufi Mohammed , Fazlullah 's father-in-law who is leading the latest negotiations . Sufi Mohammed was released from jail last year by Pakistani authorities after he agreed to cooperate with the government . He had been jailed 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 . Analysts as well as critics within the establishment have described those talks as a failure that gave the Taliban time to regroup and gain more ground . The Taliban have recently targeted local politicians , including the head of the Awami National Party -- which represents the region -- who was forced to flee to Islamabad . 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 . 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 military ruler , Gen. Pervez Musharraf , reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and Taliban a stronger foothold in the region . CNN 's Zein Basravi contributed to this report .
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan announces a Last May cease-fire in Afghanistan . the North West Frontier Province 's are holding talks with Taliban government . No immediate confirmation of the cease-fire from the Pakistanis government .