Miangul Jahan ZebHPk, HQA, CIE , formally Miangul Abdul-Haqq Jahan Zeb, was the Wāli of Swat, a princely state that is now part of Pakistan, from 1949 to 1969. He succeeded his father, Wadud of Swat. He is remembered for building schools, hospitals and roads, but also for his absolute rule over the region, which ended when Pakistan took control of Swat after local unrest. Jahan Zeb also worked to protect the landmarks of previous cultures.
Jahan Zeb was appointed Wāli Ahad in 1933. His father, the Wāli of Swat, eventually abdicated in favour of him, the eldest son, whom he had carefully educated along modern lines and gradually trained to assume the full burdens of government. Jahan Zeb was enthroned as Wāli of Swat on 12 December 1949. In 1951, he was granted the title of Ghazi-e-Millat and a hereditary salute.
System of administration
The role of the Wāli was that of king and religious leader, chief minister and commander-in-chief, chief exchequer and head qazi. He ensured that his government provided good administration and productive revenue collection; a judicial system that dispensed quick and free justice; a system of qala that lent security and protection to the people; and jobs, welfare, education and health services. Rapid communication through roads, bridges, and telegraph and penal codes provided rule of law, and telephones and informers kept the Wāli apprised of developments. This was a unique system of administration.
Jahan Zeb surpassed other contemporary rulers in the field of education. Before his era, Swat did not have a modern education system. His father laid the foundations of the system, which Jahan Zeb rapidly developed. He founded a girls' high school in Saidu Sharif, the first female educational institution in Swat. Jahanzeb College for Men has the importance of Aligarh College in the entire Malakand division. He also established a missionary school for girls at Sangota.
Patronage of archaeology
The Wali was keen to preserve the history of his principality and investigate its archaeology. In 1955 he invited the Italian Archaeological Mission in Swat to the valley under the leadership of the noted scholar Giuseppe Tucci. In 1958 he sponsored the building of the Swat Museum, which contains exceptionally fine examples of Gandharan art and artifacts.
Jahan Zeb died on 14 September 1987 in Saidu Sharif. His funeral was attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo of Pakistan and other high officials. He was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Saidu Sharif.
