Swat (princely state)
- This is an article about the former State of Swat in Pakistan. For Swat valley, city or ditrict, see Swat (Pakistan). For other uses, see Swat.
The State of Swat was a princely state which existed in the north of the modern North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until it was dissolved in 1969.
History
The Swat region has been inhabited for more than two thousand years and was known in ancient times as Udyana. The location of Swat has made it an important stopping point for many invaders including Alexander the Great and the later Mahmud of Ghazni. The second century BCE saw Swat forming part of the Buddhist civilisation of Gandhara.
The modern area of Swat was ruled sporadically by religious leaders taking the title of Akhund. The secular State of Swat was established in 1849 under Sayyid Akbar Shah but the state was in abeyance from 1863 to 1915. The British recognised the state as a princely state in 1926. At partition in 1947, the ruler acceded the state to Pakistan whilst retaining considerable autonomy. The ruler of Swat was accorded a 15-gun hereditary salute in 1966 but this was soon followed by the abolition of the state in 1969. The royal status of the former ruler was abolished in 1972, but the former ruling family are still accorded a high degree of respect by the people of Swat. The present mayor of Swat district is the grandson of Miangul Jehanzeb.
Demographics
The people of Swat are mainly Pashtuns, Kohistanis and Gujars. Some have very distinct features and claim to be descendants of the army of Alexander the Great. Syed Abdul Jabbar Shah To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. Please discuss this issue on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available. This article has been tagged since April 2006. SWAT HISTORY WRITER OF MANY BOOKS ie Mun'ameen-i-Bani Israel and was Authority on history of Pathans. Ref: quoted by Sir Orlaf caro in his Book The Pathans and in many other books.
1. Sethana family's influence started with the advent of their forefather Hazrat Pir Baba Syed Ali Tirmzi in Swat. From 1820, Sethana became place of resistance against the Sikhs and fight continued for 26 years till 1846. In fact, Sethana family dominated the political scene in yousafzai area for 200 years. In 1824, Maharaja Ranjit Singh attacked Sethana itself with 1,00000 soldiers. Syed Akbar Shah was born in 1793- ruled Swat till 1857. His total period of rule on Hazara and Swat lasted for 12 years. His capital was at Ghalegai in Abakhel area of Swat. His great grand father Syed Zaman Shah went from Buner to Sethana and after that the family extended from Buner, Malka and Swat to Sethana.
In 1841, the great Indus flood destroyed Sethana followed by burning and destruction of Sethana by Sikhs and British and ultimately in 1973 it submerged under Tarbela Dam Lake. In 1852, Syed Akbar Shah fought the British at Malakand. In 1856, a mutiny supported by Nawab of Dir was crushed. In 1856, five hundred British native Infantry soldiers defected to Badshah Sahib Syed Akbar Shah but Akhund Sahib was against them and recommended their departure from Swat. He died at the age of 70 on 11th May 1857 on the day of mutiny in India. The British passed this remark " Today we have received bad news of mutiny but the good news is that Syed Akbar Shah has died otherwise the shape of the mutiny would have been different."
Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brevly was given total protection by Syed Akbar Shah and his family and even after the death of Syed Ahmed Shahid his disciples were given protection in Sethana. Syeds of Sethana suffered at the hands of Sikhs and later on British for a very long time. They lost their State and property time and again for the cause of Islam.
2.His son Shehzada Syed Mubarik Shah became the ruler and fought the forces of General Chamberlain gallantly in 1863 at Ambela. He could rule only for one year. At this stage, Akhund Sahib also started conspiring against the family. In fact Akhund Sahib during the life of Syed Akbar Shah started saying that he would not support the family after the death of Badshah Sahib keeping in mind the circumstances and future planning for take over by his family. By this time he had amassed huge properties and created influence by helping public through Badshah Sahib at the same times giving full support to him. The famous Enfield Rifle was used in Sethana for the first time in Subcontinent by the British forces.
3. Syed Abdul Jabbar Shah. His father Syed Mehmood Shah was killed by Hassan Zai tribes. When he was 6 months old his cousin Feroz Shah came from Malka, attacked Sethana and killed all family male members in 1878. He was removed by a female servant and taken to a nearby village Kia and given protection by Ghulam Khel tribe. At a very young age, he left for India and lived with his stepbrother who was borne and lived in Lukhnow since his child hood. In Azam Garh, he studied with a Persian scholar Maulvi Qamaruddin, Maulvi Nazir ud Din and Maulvi Kabir Ullah who were Arabic and Persian teachers in Banaras. He came back and again went for studies in 1890. In 1897, he took part in Landakai war . In 1899, Nawab of Amb Akram Khan appointed him as his Minister at a very young age. After the death of Nawab, his son Khan Zaman Khan became ruler. He married the daughter of Nawab of Amb in 1907. From childhood, he developed love for Islam and history mainly because of his family background. He had photographic memory, whatever, he studied once, he never forgot till his death. He was Hafiz-e-Quran and wrote many books mainly on the history of Pakhtoons (Al Hibrat, Bani Israel and Four Hundred Years old history of Frontier). He went on foot right up to Qundoos north Afghanistan in 1905 to confirm his ancestral history. According to Sir Olaf Caroe, " he was an authority on the history of Pathans." In 1903, he went to Delhi and met a very respected personality and Saint Shah Abdul Kher Mujaddi. In 1908, he re-captured Sethana with the help of Nawab of Amb and constructed Fort and house. In 1908, he married the daughter of ruler of Bokhara who had come to Abbottabad after revolution via Afghanistan with the help of Amir Abdul Rehan of Kabul.
He ruled Swat from 28 April 1914 to 1918. His capital was at Niphikhel area Bandi Bala. Immediately after taking over as ruler, he organized an Army and proper income tax in Islamic way. Shariat law was to be followed. The Army was properly paid monthly pay.
After 2 years in 1916, Mian Gul Abdul Wadood mutinied but was arrested. He pardoned him and Mian Gul fought under his command against Nawab of Dir. He gave in writing on Quran that he would never rise against him. His written statement of request for Pardon duly stamped is still available. He was sent for Hajj but on his return, he conspired with the British and with their active help overthrew him. British have confirmed their help against him and their animosity against Syed family in number of books. In 1912, Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayum requested him for help for Islamia College. He got Rs. 1,00000/- from Nawab Khan Zaman Khan and gave it to him. Again in 1939, he was exiled by the British to Hyderabad Deccan. The Nizam appointed him as his Defense Minister and remained there till 1945. While he was in Hyderabad, he was again asked by Sahibzada Sahib for help for Islamia College. He again got Rs. 1,50000/- from Nizam and sent it to him. Mian Gul's status as ruler was accepted in 1926, although he was supported and installed by the British.
Government
The rulers of Swat held the title Amir-e Shariyat and from 1918 were known as Badshah; the title changed to Wali in 1926 when it became a State of the Indian Empire.
| Tenure | Rulers of Swat |
|---|---|
| 1849 - 11th May 1857 | Sayyid Akbar Shah |
| 11th May 1857 - 1863 | Sayyid Mubarak Shah Sahib |
| 1863 - 1915 | State in abeyance |
| 1915 - September 1917 | Sayyid Abdul-Jabbar Khan |
| September 1917 - 12th December 1949 | Miangul Golshahzada Abdul-Wadud |
| 12th December 1949 - 28th July 1969 | Miangul Abdul-Haqq Jahanzib |
| 28th July 1969 | State of Swat abolished |
See also
Recommended reading
The Last Wali of Swat: An Autobiography as Told by Fredrik Barth (Asian Portraits) by Fredrik Barth