eyes of a Victorian poet and painter. The Islamic State of Swat was established in 1849 under Sayyid Akbar Shah with Sharia law remaining in force, but the state was in abeyance from 1878 to 1915. Thereafter Sayyid Abdul-Jabbar Shah, nephew of Sayyid Akbar Shah, was made ruler by a local Jirga and had trouble exercising power. In 1917 another Jirga appointed Miangul Golshahzada Abdul-Wadud, founder of the dynasty of Swat. The British recognised this ruler and the state as a princely state in 1926. Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the ruler acceded the state to Pakistan, while retaining considerable autonomy. The ruler of Swat was accorded a 15-gun hereditary salute in 1966. This was followed by the abolition of the state in 1969, resulting from a campaign initiated against autocratic rule by the Swat Liberation Movement (SLM). As a result, the State was incorporated into current day Pakistan. Demographics The people of Swat are mainly Yousafzai Pashtuns and Gujjars. 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 Princely State of the British Raj. Since 1969 the former princely state has been under a civil administration as part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Miangul family is still prominent in Pakistan and has held a variety of appointed and elective posts. See also Khyber Pakhtunkhwa References The Yusufzai State of Swat on valleyswat.net Further reading The Last Wali of Swat: An Autobiography as Told by Fredrik Barth (Asian Portraits), by Fredrik Barth Sultan-i-Rome, Swat State, 1915–1969, From Genesis to Merger: An Analysis of Political, Administrative, Socio-Political, and Economic Development, Karachi: Oxford University Press (2008), Sultan-i-Rome. Forestry in the Princely State of Swat and Kalam (North-West Pakistan): A Historical Perspective on Norms and Practices, NCCR IP6 Working Paper No. 6. Zurich: Department of Geography, University of Zurich (2005) <ref.yousafzai ki sargazishit by allah bakhash yousafi> Miangul Aurangzeb: The last Vali Ahad (Crown Prince) of the former Swat State External links Gaju Khan Yusufzai Yusufzai at Khyber.org Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Details on the ruling family of Swat Daily Times: NWFP Religious Background Geographical Journal article on Swat Former subdivisions of Pakistan Swat District States and territories established in 1849 History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Princely states of India Muslim princely states of India Princely states of Pakistan Former kingdoms