History of Swatis and Pakhli:

Swatis are ethnically and culturally Pashtuns inhabiting the Hazara Division of Pakistan.

A Jirga of the Swati family in Balakot (District Mansehra). It is worth mentioning that all areas of Pakhli have Khans (local chiefs of those areas). The Khans of Balakot belong to the Sarkheli subsection of Gabri Swatis.

DNA Report :

Recent research on the DNA of the Swati tribe, which lives in large numbers in Hazara Division (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan), has shown that Swatis are ethnically Tajik Persians. DNA reports can be found on Google.

Primary Sub-sections :

Swatis are divided into 4 main sub-sections i.e Gabris, Mitravis, Mumailis and Toar.

Language:

The original language of the Swatis was Pashto. Today, Swatis speak different languages depending on the area. The majority of them speak Hindko, Pashto, and Urdu.

Population :

There are around 200,000 to 300,000 Swatis in Hazara Division. The majority of Swatis are Gabris.

Pakhli - The Country of Swatis :

Pakhli is named after Sultan Pakhal Swati-The First Sultan of Gabari Kingdom of Swat.

According to the Hazara Gazetteer, Pakhli is the country of Swatis, comprising all areas of District Mansehra and District Battagram excluding Feudal Tanawal.

Pakhli Plains(Mansehra, Khyber PakhtoonKhwa), 1857 , painting by Henry Brabazon Urmston

Only in the Naran Kaghan Valley, out of the 21 villages, 14 villages are owned by Swatis while the rest 7 villages belongs to Syeds who are descendants of Syed Jalal Baba as mentioned in Hazara Gazetteer.

Syed Jalal Baba came with Swatis and kept 7 villages for himself. Today due to lack of knowledge people consider only Pakhli Plains as entire Pakhli. Pakhli plains consists of areas like Shinkyari, Bhogarmang, Dhodial, Bherkund, Agror, Konsh, Battal etc.

The beautiful valleys of Pakistan, such as Naran Kaghan Valley, Manoor Valley, Siran Valley, Kunhar Valley, Konsh Valley, Bhogarmang Valley, Agror Valley and Balakot, are also part of Pakhli.

Here is a page from the Hazara Gazetteer 1883 showing the areas of Pakhli.

Upper Pakhli belongs to the Gabri Swatis, and Lower Pakhli belongs to the Mitravi-Mamiali Swatis. In Hindko, the word "Utli" is used for Upper and "Tarli" for Lower.

Upper Pakhli:

Gabri Swatis hold 95% of the area in Upper Pakhli, which covers more than a million kanals of land. Upper Pakhli is divided among eight families of Gabris into nine parts. Two parts were given to the Sarkheli family, one to the Khankhail family, one to the Arghushal Malkal family, one to the Dodal family, one to the Panjhol family, one to the Aznali Mandravi family, one to the Panjmeral family, and one part to the Jahangiri family. These eight Gabri families are further divided into small khels. Each family consists of 4–7 khels, and each khel has a small population of 400–500 people. Each family owns around 10 lakh kanals of land. Aznali Mandravi owns the most land, with 12 lakh kanals in Konsh Valley and its surrounding areas. The city of Mansehra falls within the jurisdiction of the Jahangiri family.

Lower Pakhli:

Lower Pakhli was divided among the Mitravi Swatis and Mamiali Swatis in 12 parts, with six parts for each of them.

Page 74 of Hazara Gazetteer 1883 showing the areas of Mitravis and Mamialis.

Historical Background:

It is important not to confuse Swat with Swatis, as these are different terms. Swatis have not been living in Swat for the past four centuries. Swati is a separate tribe.

Some Swatis consider themselves to be Pashtuns, but that is not accurate. Swatis adopted Pashto and Pashtun culture around the 1600s after the arrival of the Yousafzai tribe. This occurred after the fall of the Gabri Kingdom of Swat when Sultan Awais Swati lost a war to Malak Ahmed Khan, a Yousafzai Chief. Sultan Awais was married to Shahida Bibi, the sister of Malak Ahmed. The Swatis are descendants of Tajik Sultans from Pech, Badakhshan, and Balkh. They migrated to what is now Pakistan (at that time India) to expand their kingdom's boundaries.

Pakhli Sarkar ( Gabri Empire) :

This is the Pakhli Sarkar of Swat also known as Gabari Empire.

Sultan Pakhal Swati and Sultan Behram Swati were two brothers who separated from the parent dynasty and established their own in Swat with capital as Manglowar.

The green area on the map represents the parent kingdom of the Swatis, whose rulers were descendants of Rutbil 9. The blue area represents the Gabri Empire (also known as Pakhli Sarkar ), founded by Sultan Pakhal Swati and Sultan Behram Swati. The orange area represents the Kingdom of Kashmir, founded by a Gabri Swati named Shah Mir, who migrated from Swat to Kashmir. The Kingdom of Kashmir is known as the Shahmiri Dynasty, and this information is available on Wikipedia.

The four clans of Swatis can be found in Zoroastrianism. Gabari is also used for fire worshipers in this religion while Mitra is the another god in the same religion.

The Swatis used to speak the Gabri dialect of Dari Persian when they were in Swat (as referenced in Babur Nama). Most of them now speak Pashto and Hindko and reside in the Hazara Division of Pakistan, not Swat. The Swatis renamed Udyana to Swat. The first Sultan of the Gabri Kingdom was Sultan Pakhal Swati, who is mentioned in various historical books such as the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Malika E Sawat, a book written in Persian by Akhund Darweza, Hazara Gazetteer, and Tareekh E Sarhad. Sultan Pakhal was the son of Sultan Kehjaman of Balkh and Badakhshan.

The Swatis ruled the Gabri Kingdom for centuries, with the last ruler being Sultan Awais Swati, who was married to Shahida Bibi, the sister of Yousafzai Chief Malak Ahmed Khan. In the book "The Pathans" by Olaf Caroe, it is written that their marriage was a political move to allow Malak Ahmed an easier capture of Swat. In 1519 AD, Malak Ahmed with the support of Mughals overthrew the Gabri Kingdom, and the Swatis were driven out to areas like Dir.

Sultans of Pakhli Sarkar of Swat :

Here are some well known Sultans of Pakhli Sarkar of Swat.

Sultan Pakhal Gabari

Sultan Behram Gabari

Sultan Deshara Gabari

Sultan Jahangir Gabari

Sultan Arghush Gabari

Sultan Awais Gabari

Sultan Mir Haider Gabari - (Bajaur Side)

Sultan Tomna Kehyan

Conquest of Pakhli-1703 :

In 1703, under the leadership of Akhun Salak , the Swatis after a Jirga migrated to the Hazara Division, which was then ruled by Karlukh Turk Sultan. The Swatis overthrew the rule of the Karlukhs and established a Khanate, renaming the area Pakhli after the name of their ancestor Sultan Pakhal. A chief was selected for Pakhli by the Swatis, and he was known as the Chief of Pakhli or the Chief of Swati.

The areas of Pakhli include the entire Battagram District and the entire Mansehra District (excluding the Tanawal area). The most beautiful valleys of Pakistan, such as Naran Kaghan Valley, Manoor Valley, Siran Valley, Kunhar Valley, and Balakot, are also part of Pakhli. In 1703, the Swatis performed a 'Vesh' and divided the entire Pakhli into its clans. Upper Pakhli was given to Gabri Swatis in 9 parts, while lower Pakhli was given to Mitravi and Mamiali Swatis in 12 parts. This division is well explained above as well in the Hazara Gazetteer of 1883, written by the British Empire of India. In the same Gazetteer, Swatis are mentioned as Tajiks. Even today, Swatis own 70% of the land in both Battagram and Mansehra Districts. There is a proverb in Hindko language, "Jamda Swati Karor Pati Honda Ay," which means "A Swati is born a billionaire" because of their vast lands. However, this was true for the last generation, during 1950s-1980s.

Political Status in Hazara :

Major politicians of District Mansehra and District Battagram also belong to the Swati family. Most of the MNAs and MPAs of these areas, since the pre-partition time of India, are Swatis. There were many Swati MLAs from the Indian National Congress before partition, and Swatis remain politically strong in these districts to this day.

Swatis also played an important role in Pakistan Movement.

Nationalism and Status:

Swatis are usually big landlords even today, except for those who have sold their lands or those who received land through a division due to having many brothers or uncles.

Nationalism can be found among the Swatis, and they somehow feel themselves to be superior. Nowadays, Swatis are known for their lazy nature. In the Hazara Gazetteer of 1883, the British wrote that Swatis are the most beautiful and intelligent tribe of the Hazara Division.

Swatiwali :

Swatis have their own rules, which are still preserved in the Wajab Ul Arz of Pakhli, and Swatis call these rules Swatiwali.

Tenets: (Urdu : Mazera )

Swatis have tenants who take care of their lands and farms. These tenants include Julayas, Tarkans, Nai, Dhobi, Kumar, Moochi, and Gujjars (for their folks) etc. All these things are mentioned in the Hazara Gazetteer.

Contributions in Kashmir:

Swatis have made significant contributions to the conquest of Muzzafarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. They have also contributed to the infrastructure and heritage of Jammu and Kashmir. The grand Jama Masjid in Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir, was also built by a Swati Sultan of the Shahmiri Dynasty.

Chiefs:

Below are the medals presented to Swati Chiefs by British Kings.Swatis fought against the Sikh Khalsa Empire bravely and saved their lands, along with Syed Ahmed Shaheed. During the British era, many parts of Pakhli were colonized, and the chiefs had to obey the British King, just like the other 560 Nawabs/Rajas of Princely states in India. However, a portion of Pakhli became Yaghistan (an independent area) as some Swatis rebelled against the Britishers. However, the British never conquered the Yaghistan area of Swatis.

A page from the Hazara Gazetteer about the Swati chiefs and Khans in the 1880s:

Notable Swatis :

A portrait of Reham Khan Swati, from Baffa Mansehra, Pakistan. Reham Khan is a well-known BBC journalist and the former wife of Imran Khan, the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan. She belongs to the Lughmani subsection of the Sarkheli confederation of Gabri Swatis.

Here is a picture of Senator Azam Swati, the Senior Vice President of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (the most popular political party in Pakistan). Azam Swati belongs to the Alisheri subsection of Mitravi Swatis. He was born in Mansehra (Lower Pakhli) and has served as the Minister of Narcotics Control, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Science and Technology in Pakistan. Azam Swati is considered one of the richest people in Pakistan.

Below is a picture of Khan Muhammad Abbas Khan Swati, who was an MLA of Mansehra from the Indian National Congress before Partition. He belongs to Khankhail Subsection of Gabari Swatis.

Here is the picture of the current MPA of Mansehra, Babur Saleem Swati, also known as Sher E Mansehra (Lion of Mansehra). He belongs to the Jahangiri subsection of Gabri Swatis and is a direct descendant of Sultan Jahangir of the Gabri Kingdom.

Below is the picture of "Mister Pakistan," Mudasir Khalid Swati, who hails from Garhi Habibullah, District Mansehra. He belongs to the Arghush-Al subsection of Gabri Swatis. He is a direct descendant of the Sultan Arghush of the Gabri Kingdom. Mudasir Khalid Swati has won various gold medals in the South Asian Games and has been Mr. Pakistan.

Below is the picture of Air Vice Marshall Shahid Mansoor Swati of Mansehra, who belongs to the Jahangiri subsection of Gabri Swatis and is a direct descendant of Sultan Jahangir (father of Sultan Awais Swati, the last Sultan). "Jahangiri" is written on his nameplate.

General Rabani Swati, the founder of the Swati Unit in the Pakistan army, hails from the Mansehra Swati Family. He was the "Khan of Battal."

Below is the picture of the current MNA of Mansehra, Saleh Muhammad Khan Swati, who belongs to Baffa Pakhli to the Sarkheli subsection of Gabri Swatis.

Below is the picture of Prince Nawaz Khan, the MNA of District Battagram.

Below is the picture of Umer Nawaz Khan Swati, the son of ex-Federal Minister Nawaz Khan. He is also known as the "Khan of Sachan" and belongs to the Jahangiri subsection of Gabri Swatis.

Below is the picture of Hanif Gohar Swati, the CEO of Gohar Group of Companies. He is well-known for his welfare work and has built a 5-story hospital in Dhodial Mansehra for the welfare of the people. He belongs to the Arghush-Al subsection of Gabri Swatis and is also the Chief of the 18 Tribes of Hazara.