MINGORA: Speakers at a ceremony here on Sunday demanded of the authorities to set up a Swati block in the Postgraduate Jahanzeb College Swat.

They also asked the government to construct an overhead bridge and name it as Swati bridge to connect the buildings of the college situated on both sides of the road.

The ceremony was organised by Swati Qaum Association Pakistan in Wadudia Hall, Saidu Sharif. A large number of Swatis from different areas including Mansehra, Balochistan, Sindh, Upper and Lower Dir, Shangla and Buner participated in the convention.

Baber Saleem Swati, Saleh Mohammad Khan Swati, Prince Nawaz Khan Swati, Sherin Mohammad Khan Swati and Fazal Mahmood Swati were prominent among the participants of the convention.

Speakers at convention urge Swatis to forge unity

The speakers said that they were excited to see Swatis from across the country together after 500 years on their ancestral land. They said that the convention was meant to unite Swatis.

“Swatis, the earlier inhabitants of Swat, are dispersed so for the first time we brought them together to unit them and bind them in a strong brotherhood. We want the youth not to forget their identity and work for the uplift of the country,” said Sherin Mohammad Khan Swati, president of the association.

“Swatis ruled the region for centuries but unfortunately they went into oblivion. Now they have realised to stand united and not only revive their identity but also work for each other and Pakistan,” said Saleh Mohammad Khan Swati, who is also MNA from Mansehra.

Prince Mohammad Nawaz Khan, the MNA from Allai in Battgram district, said that their forefathers migrated from Swat to Battagram.

“Majority of people in Manshsera division belong to Swat. We have taken oath here to work for the unity of Swatis and show their strength in positive sense for the region and the country,” he added.

Fazal Mahmood Swati, the chairman of the association, talked about the history of Swatis and urged them to join the association.

The participants of the convention demanded of the authorities to set up a Swati block in Postgraduate Jahanzeb College Swat and construct an overhead bridge and name it as Swati bridge to connect the buildings of the college situated on both sides of the road.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2019