Swat

is a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. he capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is !ingora.It was a princely state in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until it was dissolved in "#$#. he valley is almost entirely populated by ethnic Pashtun %wankhel. he predominant language spoken in the valley is Pashto, while minor languages include orwali and Kalami in Swat Kohistan. he population at the "#&" census was '"(,#)&, which had risen to ",*(',$+* at the ne,t census in "##&. !ain ribes are !ohmands, Khattaks, %wans or %wanKhel, -usuf.ais, %khund Khel, /anur Khel Sahib.adgan 0Sayedan1, Shilmani,!ashwani, /abi, arin, arani,Swati, 2thman.ai or 2tman Khels, !iangan 0Syed1, 3hitralis, Kohistanis, %khund khel -ousaf.ai, 4ooristani and some !ehsuds and 5a.irs migrants from /annu and 5a.iristan

History
Swat has been inhabited for over two thousand years. he first occupants created well6planned towns. In )*' /3, %le,ander the 7reat fought his way to 2degram and /arikot and stormed their battlements. In 7reek accounts, these towns have been identified as 8ra and /a.ira, respectively. %round the *nd century /3, the area was occupied by /uddhists, who were attracted by the peace and serenity of the land. here are many remains that testify to their skills as sculptors and architects. In the beginning of the &th century %9, the 7abari Swati Pashtun tribe advanced through :aghmanat, 4angarhar, and 9ir. /y the early ")th century, they captured Swat, defeating the local /uddhists and the Hindus. his war was headed by Sultan Pakhal 7abari and later on by the ;ahangiri Sultan /ehram 7abari rulers of Kunar Pech and cousins of the rulers of Kashmir. :ater some 9ila.ak encroached on the area and settled among the 7abari. hey were ousted in turn by the -usuf.ais, backed by the !ughal /adshah <ahiruddin !uhammad /aber, considered the super power in "("# and "(*+. he historical parado, was that the -usuf.ais were ousted from Kabul by !ir.a 2llegh beg, the uncle of /aber, who killed $++ malak of -usuf.ai. -ousof.ais refugees settled among the 7abaris in the 9ir and Swat regions. 5ith the help of <ahiruddin !uhammad /abur, the -ousof.ais encroached upon the 7abari state. hey demolished the 7abar6Kot 0fortress1 in /a=our in "("# and advanced to the Swat. he last 7abari king, Sultan %wais 7abari, fled to 2pper 9ir, where he established his rule in 3hitral, 5akhan, /adakhshan and other towns along the upper 8,us River. he ancestor of the present family of Swat was the !uslim saint %bdul 7hafoor, the %khund of Swat, a Safi !omand of Ha.ara district. He migrated to the /uner territory. He was a pious man and the people respected him so greatly that they called him %khund Sahib.>*? 9uring the mid6"#th century, !uslim tribes fought against each other to control the Swat @alley. 8n the intervention of %khund Sahib, the killing was stopped. he chiefs of the tribes unanimously chose him the ruler of the valley. %khund Sahib administered the valley according to !uslim laws. Peace prevailed, and agriculture and trade flourished. %khund Sahib had two sons by his wife, who belonged to 4ikbi Khel. %fter the death of %khund Sahib, the tribal chiefs fell into open warfare again, which continued for years. Aventually the tribal chiefs gave control of the valley into the hands of the 7ul Shah.ada %bdul 5adood, the son of !ian 7ul %bdul KhaliB, son of %khund Sahib. he wife of !ian %bdul 5adood was the daughter of !ir.a %f.al6ul6!ulk, the ruler of 3hitral. he /ritish put 3hitral under the su.erainty of Kashmir. he 3hitral ruler gave two horses every year to the Ra=ia of Kashmir, and the Ra=a provided 3hitral with grain and sugar, etc. Swat went under protection of the /ritish. In "#C' during the rule of !ian 7ul !uhammad, %bdul HaB ;ehan.eb, the son of !ian %bdul 5adood, the state acceded to Pakistan. he present prince, !uhammad %ur.ng.eb Khan, son of ;ahan.eb, married the daughter of Dield !arshal !ohammad %yub Khan in "#((. /y intermarriages with the other castes, the family developed strong relation with other nobles of the area such as he :ala 0Sayyeds1 family. hey supported the Royal family in administrative as well as in the military affairs of the state. ;ah.n.eb started a 9egree 3ollege at Saidu Sahrif, the capital of the State, and four High Schools at !ingora, 3hakesar, !atta and 9agar. Dourteen middle schools, twenty6eight lower middle schools, and fifty6si, primary schools were established. % girlsE high school and high6class religious schools were established at Saidu Sharif. %t all the

schools, the poor students were granted scholarships. he state was an e,emplary state during /ritish rule. he 7u==ars were traditionally very poor people in the Swat @alley. hey are gaining education and are holding good posts in government services. hey also have a firm stand in politics of Pakistan. he current Prince %urang.eb Khan was also 7overnor of the province of /aluchistan, Pakistan.

Administration:
he region has gone through considerable changes since the dissolution of the princely state in "#$#. !embers of the former Royal family have on occasion been elected to represent the area in the Provincial %ssembly and 4ational %ssembly. he region elects two male and one female members of the 4ational %ssembly of Pakistan 0!4%s1. It elects seven male and two female members of the Provincial %ssembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0!P%s1.>"C? In the *++* 4ational and Provincial elections, the !uttahida !a=lis6e6%mal, an alliance of islamist political parties, won all the seats amidst a wave of anti6%mericanism that spread after the 2nited StatesE invasion of %fghanistan =oining the 4orthern %lliance against the aliban.

Education:
wat has many schools and colleges 0public and private1 along with a government chattered university. he largest college of the district, P.7 ;ahan.eb 3ollege in Saidu Sharif, was built in "#(* and offers !Sc 0to males and females1, /Sc and Dsc degrees 0male only1. Saidu !edical 3ollege, built in "##&, ranks )rd in the government medical colleges in the province.8n ' ;uly *+"+, he 2niversity of Swat was established, the first university of the district. . he valley has many graduate colleges like 793 !ingora, 7793 Saidu Sharif, 7793 Khwa.a Khela, 7P73 !atta and 793 !adyan. Private schools of Swat like SPS 3ollege Rahim %bad,? A,celsior 3ollege Sangota, Sangota Public School, etc. are known for their high academic progress throughout the province.

Economy:
%ppro, )&F of economy of Swat depends on ourism, and )"F depends on %griculture.>citation needed? 5ild life 5hen shrubs and bushes covered slopes and foothill areas, hares, porcupine, fo,, =ackal, wolf, pigs, and hyenas were in large number. 9eforestation has resulted from the residentsE use of wood as fuel, and wildlife has decreased with the loss of habitat. In the forests, monkeys are often found. Hawks, eagles, and falcons are found in the high mountains, while pheasants, partridges, hoopoes, larks, sparrows, Buails, doves, swallows, starlings, nightingales, crows, kites, vultures, owls, bates are the common birds.

Second Battle of Swat Second Battle of Swat (Operation Rah-e-Rast)

he Second /attle of Swat also known as 8peration Rah6e6Rast, began in !ay *++# and involved the Pakistani %rmy and aliban militants in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. he first /attle of Swat had ended with a peace agreement, widely criticised in the west, that the government had signed with the aliban in Debruary *++#.>"+? However, by late

%pril *++# government troops and the aliban began to clash once again, and in !ay the government launched military operations throughout the district and elsewhere to oppose the aliban.

The attle of !in"ora city:

Dighting commenced in the largest and main city of the district, !ingora, between elite Pakistani commandos and about )++ aliban militants positioned in deserted buildings and continued until *) !ay *++#, when a ma=or Pakistani offensive retook much of the city. %mid heavy street fighting, the Pakistani %rmy captured large parts of the city, including several key intersections and sBuares. 8n *C !ay, the Pakistani %rmy announced it had retaken large parts of !ingora. !a=or67eneral %thar %bbas, the %rmyEs chief military spokesman, announced that Gwe want to eliminate the entire > aliban? leadershipG. Pakistani soldiers continued to engage the aliban in street fighting and search buildings for aliban fighters. Pakistani troops also retook several nearby towns previously under aliban control. 8n )+ !ay, the Pakistani military announced that it had regained control of all of !ingora, though small pockets of resistance still remained in the cityEs outskirts. Dighting between Pakistani forces and aliban militants continued in other areas. he Pakistani army claimed the death toll to be ",*++ aliban fighters and #+ Pakistani soldiers. here were believed to be *++,+++ people in !ingora as recently as a week prior to the eruption of hostilities. Dollowing the lifting of a curfew, as of *) !ay a large e,odus left what was believed to be only "+,+++6*+,+++ civilians in the town.

E#pansion of Operation
%fter retaking the town of !ingora the military moved on to !alam ;abba and Hamabr /a.ar taking those towns and killing the 4S! leaders of those towns. 8n !ay *#, the %rmy cleared %man Kot and the echnical Institute 3ollege on the !ingora6Kokarai road in !ingora. 8n the same day, the village of Peochar in the Peochar @alley, as well as the town of /ahrain in the north of Swat, had been taken by the military. Sporadic fighting went on in the rest of Swat and in the Shangla district.

$apture of Tali an $ommanders

8n ;une C, *++# it was reported that Sufi !uhammad, the founder of ehreek6e64afa.6e6Shariat6 e6!ohammadi or 4S!, was arrested in %mandarra along with other militant leaders. In the coming days there was confusion over this claim since the aliban themselves said that !uhammad was missing. However, several days later it was confirmed that Sufi !uhammad was not captured and was in hiding, while two of his aides were captured by the %rmy. hose two aides, !uhammad !aulana %lam and %meer I..at Khan, were killed when militants attacked the prison transport they were in on ;une '. 8n ;une "*, in response to a bomb e,plosion at a mosBue that killed )& civilians, local Pakistani militia numbering between ",+++ and ",(++ surrounded almost )++ militants. he Pakistani army sent Helicopter 7unships to provide air support to militia fighting in the villages of Shatkas and 7ha.i 7ai, where the fiercest fighting took place. Pakistani paramilitaries also set up mortar positions on the high ground overlooking the villages. *+ homes suspected of housing aliban fighters were destroyed. "" aliban militants were killed in the fighting. 8n ;une "*, the Pakistani army captured the town of 3huprial in a fierce battle. )# aliban fighters and "+ Pakistani soldiers were killed. 8n ;une "C, Pakistani soldiers began to clear the last pockets of resistance. 8n ;uly "(, clashes throughout the Swat valley left "" aliban militants and " Pakistani soldier dead, with the heaviest fighting taking place in the town of Kabal. he refugees that had fled their homes also began to return on ;uly "(.

%inal Assault
8n September "", *++#, the Pakistan %rmy announced that !uslim Khan and four other senior 4S! commanders were captured near !ingora.!aulana Da.lullah, however, remains at large. !aulana Da.lullah was actually hit in two air strikes, and was critically wounded and stranded for sometime in Imam 9ehri without any access to medical assistance. Success of 8perations /y %ugust **, ".$ million of *.* million refugees returned home, as per 24 estimates. 8n ;anuary "", *+"+, Hayatullah Hamyo one of the P commanders in Swat was captured in 8rangi own in Karachi where he was keeping a low profile by working for P 3: 0Pakistan elecommunication 3ompany :td1.