
Credit: Cartoon by Nicholson from "The Australian" newspaper: www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 29 -- The powerful earthquake occurred on Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan has killed more than 200 people and caused scores of injures, local television reported on Thursday.


e files of education then.Renowned historian, late Abdul Haleem Asat Afghani, in his “Swat Da Tareekh Pa Rana Kay”, says that of all the people who came to Swat, the Kuldanees left everlasting imprints of their culture on this land. The Kuldanees maintained sway over Swat from 2500 B.C to 500 B.C. The two inscriptions found from the archeological remains of Khadokhel, which belong to the age of Dareyoosh Kabir, are kept in Lahore Museum. The inscription point out that the relics of Kuldanee culture can be traced on the outskirts of Kanju.
political and historical aspects of the Swat of those days. We can get a lot of information about Swat of those days from “Swat Nama”. In 1624 AD a book “Tawareekh Hafiz Rahamat Khani” was written. This book is the summary of the Malik Khawaja voluminous book “Twareekh-i-Afghani”. Some very basic information about the old history of Swat is contained in the book. This book was missing for a long time. Latter on the book was found in British Museum, London and was send to Pushto Academy by the Britishers on request. This book was for the first time published by Pushto Academy in 1971.
He maintained Pushto as the official language of the state. In the connection, the late director of Pushto Academy, Maulana Abdul Qadir, through his correspondence with Wali of Swat, inspired him to do due service to Pushto and the Wali of Swat took great interest in the development of Pushto. On coronation ceremony of the Wali of Swat, “Mushairas” used to be held. Eminent poets from Swat as well as other area participated in these “Mushairas”. Late Fazal-ur-Rahaman Faizan, a great poet of Swat, played a pivotal role in this regard.A scientific and literary magazine was published for the first time from Jehanzeb College in 1949. It was published in three languages, Pushto, Urdu and English. The magazine was called “Eelum” this magazine has been publishing regularly. The services rendered by Shah Yousafzai, to this magazine, are worth mentioning. Sahar Yousafzai took keen interest in the magazine, to make it an ideal one for the generations to come.Journalism in Swat was introduced by a famous person from Mingora, Fazal Khaliq. He, for the first time, published a monthly digest in 1968 under the title “Swat Digest”. It was a digest of high standard. Thus he laid the foundation of modern journalism in Swat. A magazine was also published by the department of Family planning in1966. Department of Information also published a magazine “Riyasat-i-Swat”.The first newspaper published from Swat was the weekly “Falak Sair” by Miangul Farosh of Qandil. Later on by Mian Sayed Umer Nasih tried his best to modevate it.In 1989, Mian Sayed Umer Nasih published a weekly magazine under the title “Sada-i-Swat”. In the same year, Mumtaz Ahmad Buneri published “Sadae-i-Malakand” from Buner/Swat. “Salam” the first daily from Swat was published by Sayed Umer Nasih in 1993. the newspaper on August 1994, Sayed Badar Zaman Saba launched the weekly “Malakand Times”. On August 14, 1994 Niaz Pasha Jadoon launched another daily “Shamal” from Swat.Thus the land of Swat has produced great scholars. Hafiz Alpuri, a great Pushto poet, was one of them. He was a great religious scholar. His poetry no doubt , is masterpiece in Pushto literature. He is as popular as Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak among Pushtoons. For the promotion of Pushto language and literature a number of literary organizations are playing active role. These organizations are: Swat Adabi Sanga, Nangyal Pushto Adbi Tolana, Naway Tegh Adbi Tolana, Pushto Adbi Lakhkar and Markazi Islami Adbi Tolana.Among the modern poets of Swat, the names of Fazal-ur-Rahman Faizan, Saiful Malook Siddique, Zaibsar and Sahar Yousafzai are worth mentioning. These poets and writers have contributed a lot for the promotion of Pushto literature in Swat. Mohammad Pervesh Shaheen, Sher Afzal Barikoti, Fazal Mehmood Rokhan, Rahim Shah Rahim, Fazal Rabi Rahi, Laiq Zada Laiq and Ibrahim Shabnam are also playing an important role in this regard. 