Introduction

The Swat district is part of the Malakand division, which forms the northern part of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa. The Malakand division comprises of the Malakand Buner, Swat, Chitral, Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Shangla districts. It borders Afghanistan’s Nuristan and Badakshan Province (Wakhan corridor) in the north and northwest. In the southwest, Malakand division shares a border with the Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). On the east, Malakand division, especially its Swat and Chitral districts, shares a border with the strategically important Northern Areas of Pakistan, which in turn are contiguous with China’s Xinjiang region in the north. In the south, Malakand shares a border with the Charsadda/Peshawar and Mardan districts of the Khyber Paktunkhwa. A cursory look at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shows that the Swat district forms the core of the Malakand division, and shares border with all the other districts of the division. With the exception of Chitral that is inhabited by Indo-Iranian Dardic language-speaking Khowar and Kalash tribes, the Malakand division is inhabited by Pushtun tribes.

Commonly regarded as a “paradise on earth” and the “Switzerland of Asia” for its peace, serenity and scenic beauty, Swat was historically a center of the Buddhist civilization and Buddhist archeological sites are still plentiful in the forest-laden mountain district. Swat district has a population of 1.5 million, and spreads over 1,772 sq/km (684 sq/miles). The dominant tribe inhabiting the region is the Yousafzai tribe, which is also one of the largest Pushtun tribes in Pakistan.

Due to its scenic beauty, Swat has remained an attractive tourist spot for both local and foreign tourists. This has helped the local population develop a more progressive outlook towards the outside world and frequent interaction with tourists has brought a level of sophistication to the people of the region as well as improving their standard of living. Being situated close to Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Paktunkhwa, Swat has benefited from this proximity in terms of education, trade and commerce activities.