Militants in north-west Pakistan have burned down a hotel in the country's only ski resort, police say.
The Swat valley fire came hours after the government and military agreed a broad outline to counter the threat of Islamist militancy.
The meeting was attended by the prime minister, the army chief and head of military intelligence.
Officials say that the authorities had not been able to get to the resort to tackle the blaze or inspect the damage.
'Miscreants'
"The area is not under our control, it's under the militants' control and no one can go there," Swat's police chief, Waqif Khan, told the Reuters news agency.
The attack on the government-run hotel happened at Malam Jabba in Swat valley, where militants signed a peace deal with Pakistani authorities in May after months of clashes.
"Miscreants set the resort on fire last night. The extent of damage is still not known and information is coming in," Usman Shafi, general manager of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), said.
Residents said a large part of the resort had been reduced to ashes and that chairlifts had been damaged in addition to a tower belonging to the meteorological department.
The hotel is located about 150km (93 miles) north of Islamabad at an altitude of 2,636m (9,200ft) and had been closed for several months since unrest in the area had kept all tourists away.
The attack follows a meeting on Wednesday in which the prime minister and army and intelligence chiefs agreed to seek political engagement with militants in the north-west through members of parliament, tribal elders and influential local people.
The need for large-scale development, rehabilitation of militants and the selective use of military force was also agreed.
(BBC)
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