Swat (princely state)

Origin

The Swat state was established by a religious leader, Saidu Baba,^[3] who was born in a Muslim Gujjar^[4][3][5] family of the upper Swat Valley in 1794.^[6] He began his life as a shepherd and then left the village at the age of 18 to settled in the village of Mian Brangola, where he got his early education and learnt the fundamentals of Islam.^[6]

History

The Swat region, known in ancient times as Oddiyana, was conquered by the Yousafzai tribe in the early 16th century, coinciding with the Babur's conquest of Delhi Sultanate. Following the conquest and land distribution, the Yousafzais lived a highly independent and tribal lifestyle, recognising no state authority and resisting Mughal and later Durrani attempts to expand their influence into Swat. They maintained their independence until the mid-19th century. After the expansion of the British East India Company following the Second Anglo-Sikh War into the neighbouring areas of Hazara, Buner and Mardan, the various tribes of Swat felt the need to elect their single leader. In 1849 Syed Akbar Shah, a religious leader descending from Pir Baba, was elected as the king of Swat. After his death the authority passed to Saidu Baba, another religious figure.^[7] The region fell into the earlier state of anarchy after Saidu Baba's death in 1877.^[8]

Saidu Baba a Muslim Gujjar ultimately settled in 1849 at Saidu Sharif, gradually turning Swat into an independent state.^[9]: 40 However, after his death in 1877, Swat fell into abeyance till 1915, when Abdul Jabbar, a descendant of Pir Baba was elected as leader. In 1918, the grandson of Saidu Baba, Miangul Abdul Wadud became the Wali of Swat. Soon Swat was recognized by the British government as a princely state. In 1947, Miangul Abdul Wadud acceded his state to Pakistan.

The British established the Malakand Agency in 1895 consisting of Swat, Dir and Chitral, but did not interfere in the internal independence of the tribes. In 1915, Syed Abdul Jabbar Shah, another descendant of Pir Baba, was elected as the ruler but he was deposed only two years later and Miangul Abdul Wadud, the grandson of Saidu Baba, was elected by the tribal jirga. Abdul Wadud, better known by his title Bacha Sahib, proved to be a capable ruler and soon expanded his influence in all directions. He brought Yousafzai territories of Buner, Malakand, and parts of Dir under his control. In 1922-23 he conquered the Swat Kohistan, followed by the conquest of Indus Kohistan as far as the west bank of river Indus. After a fierce fighting his army defeated the Kohistanis of Besham and Kormung (present-day Shangla) in 1926, and Bacha Sahib settled Yousafzai tribes in Shangla. The quick expansion raised alarms among the British colonial authorities and they delimited the sphere of influence of Abdul Wadud, recognising Swat as a princely state and awarding him the title of Wali of Swat.^[10]

Upon Pakistan's independence in August 1947, Swat became a fully independent princely state until 3 November, when it acceded to Pakistan as one of the autonomous Princely states of Pakistan, and the Wali continued to rule.^[11] The last Wali, Miangul Jahan Zeb continued to exercise absolute rule until Pakistan took control, when on 28 July 1969, Yahya Khan announced the full integration of Swat, Chitral, and Dir into Pakistan. The state of Swat was incorporated into the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The title was made honorary after 1969 when the monarch was replaced by a civil administration. Today, the title is used unofficially as a courtesy title by heirs of the Miangul family.