Swat is a valley in the Hindu Kush mountains in northwestern Pakistan. It lies in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province). The Swat River flows through the valley. Mingora is the largest town in Swat. The valley is at the heart of the Swat administrative district. The district capital is Saidu Sharif (also called Saidu).
Swat’s residents are known for their handicrafts, including woodworking and creating colorful blankets, rugs, and other textile works. Most people in Swat are subsistence farmers, who grow food mainly for themselves, rather than for sale. Crops grown in the region include grains, potatoes, and tomatoes.
People have lived in the Swat region for thousands of years. The area has a complex history with a wide variety of cultural influences. Starting in ancient times, one empire after another conquered Swat and demanded obedience from the valley’s local leaders. In 327 B.C., the Macedonian king Alexander the Great conquered the area. The Mauryan Empire, which had begun farther south in India around 324 B.C., introduced Buddhism to the Swat valley in the 200’s B.C. The Swat region was a major Buddhist religious center from the 100’s B.C. to the A.D. 600’s. At that time, hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were in the area.
About A.D. 745, Swat came under the control of the Turki Shahi dynasty, a family of Hindu rulers. Mahmud of Ghazni, an Afghan ruler who was the first major Muslim invader of India, conquered Swat in the early 1000’s. At that time, the lands known as India included what is now Pakistan. Many Afghan tribes soon moved into the Swat area.
The British exercised increasing influence in India beginning in the 1600’s. In 1849, as British control in India extended closer to the valley, Swat formed its own kingdom. However, the kingdom collapsed after its king died in 1857. In 1895, British troops established control over the local rulers in Swat. In 1915 and again in 1917, Swat’s tribal leaders held a jirga (council) and chose a new ruler. In 1926, the British government officially recognized the authority of the wali (ruler) of Swat. Since the mid-1800’s, the British had governed some parts of India directly, and had controlled other parts indirectly, through local leaders. Swat and other areas governed through local rulers were called princely states.
Pakistan became an independent nation in 1947. Although Swat was within the boundaries of the new country, the wali continued to rule. His government controlled local affairs. The federal government of Pakistan handled such areas as communications and defense. In 1969, Pakistan ended Swat’s separate, self-governing status.
In the early 2000’s, the Taliban, a militant Islamic group that had ruled Afghanistan, moved into the Swat region. American-led troops had forced the group from power in Afghanistan. The Taliban soon clashed with Pakistani military forces. The Taliban began to threaten people and organizations they considered “un-Islamic.” The group killed opposition leaders and burned many schools, especially schools for girls. In early 2009, Pakistan’s government agreed to let the Taliban impose Sharī`a (strict Islamic law) in Swat. In return, the Taliban agreed to end clashes with Pakistani troops.
The Taliban quickly attempted to expand their control over neighboring areas. Pakistan’s military launched an offensive to drive the Taliban from Swat. In mid-2009, the military announced that it had restored order to the valley.
See also Afghanistan War; Pakistan (Recent developments); Taliban.
