Pakistan's army has regularly publicised the numbers of suspected Taliban fighters killed in its ongoing military operation in Swat, but there has been little news of the Taliban leadership of senior clerics.
Sources close to Mohammad Sufi say that his whereabouts have been unknown for the past three or four days, with his sons also reported to be missing.
Sufi Mohammad was instrumental in brokering a peace deal earlier this year between the Taliban and the government which imposed Sharia law in the district. This later fell apart when Taliban fighters moved into neighbouring districts.
Those living in temporary shelters have no clue when they will be able to return
He is also the founder of a banned militant group, Tehrik Nizam Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM).
The TNSM has in the past distanced itself from the actions of Sufi Mohammad's son-in-law, Maulana Fazlullah, who is the Taliban leader in Swat.
But, our correspondent says, Mr Mohammad and his followers have been at the forefront of elements in Swat criticising the Pakistani government for its slowness in imposing Sharia law while the deal between the government and the Taliban was still in place.
The Swat operation has displaced some two million people in Pakistan's north-west, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in overstretched camps for those forced to leave their homes.
Rebels have also launched attacks away from the fighting.
On Friday a bomb exploded at a mosque in Upper Dir, in north-western Pakistan, during Friday prayers, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens more.
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9:18 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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