MINGORA, Pakistan—Along a dimly lit alley, the wooden doors of small brick houses are barred shut. The silent passage lies just off the Banr, a street once known for Swat Valley’s famous dancing girls. This area in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province still houses many of the most respected musicians, singers, and dancers of the Yousafzai Pashtun tribe, the region’s dominant ethnic group. But today, the Banr is like any other street in the city—dark and lifeless. In the past, music and dancing continued through the night, but now the party ends at 9 p.m. We knock on a door and enter a modest home where the walls are lined with images of Pashto film stars and Swati handicrafts. Nagina, a popular, 20-year-old dancer and singer, steps into the room, which serves both as her bedroom and living room. Wearing traditional dress—her shalwar qameez and a dopatta (a long scarf) hanging from her...
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