The scope of this article is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of M.H. Panhwar’s historical work and to compare it with other scholars of Sindh. He is the initiator of scientific history writing of Sindh and the only historian who tried to uncover the face behind the social organisation of Sindh. According to him, ‘History is the history of production, control over the means of production and production to its final distribution’. The history is more about people than that of the ruling class as people are makers of history. He had vision to analyze things in their correct historical perspective and, in this context, he took support of archeology, as it is the source of scientific truth. Writing history with data acquired through carbon testing is a new phenomenon in Sindh, which was locally introduced by M. H Panhwar.1 M. H. Panhwar, therefore, was one of the pioneers in giving a new meaning to history by including both ruling elites and the common folk, progressive science, crop technology, forest, wildlife, etc.2 He was the first to throw light on areas which were ignored by other historians. According to him, history written before him is full of the accounts of the rulers’ role in relation to their nobles and foes, battles they fought, attacks, palace plotting, mausoleums, folklore, fiction and so on. Accounts regarding contemporary climate, environments, diversion of rivers, courses and the resultant ruination of irrigation systems, migrations, shifting of people, occupations, social life of the populace etc. Found little room in written histories. For instance changes in production and its means, administration and justice, agriculture, land, animal husbandry, irrigation sources and methods of mining, metallurgy, industry and industrial goods, matrimonial institutions, family and children, houses and interiors, art, architecture, archaeology, personal appearance, dresses, ornaments, foods and drinks, taxes, coins and currency, science and technology, foreign contacts, international trades and traders, routes of trades, religious beliefs, philosophy, hygiene, medicine and doctors, superstitions, common citizens, economic conditions, historical geography of bygone ages, classes of work and their relation with one another, household life, customs, entertainments, pastimes, leisure, attitude of man to nature, languages, literature, literary contacts with outside word, learning and thoughts, status of women and children in affluence and extreme poverty.3 Hence, in real sense M.H Panhwar was scholar of Haig’s Raverty’s and Lambrick’s calibre.
The study was designed to find out whether or not the Pakistani English novelists have incorporated: Secular, Marxist and Religious categories of Humanism in addition to Human Rights in the themes of their novels, in the context of social political, religious and economic conditions prevailing in Pakistani society. The research questions formulated to achieve these objectives of the study were: what is the extent to which Secular Humanism appears in Pakistani English Novel, have Pakistani English novelists succeeded to incorporate Marxist Humanism in their novels, does Religious Humanism figure in Pakistani English Novel, and are Pakistani English novelists successful in creating the awareness of Human Rights? Population of the study was all the novels written in English by Pakistani English novelists and first time published from 1985 to the present (2005). Sample was taken randomly for the study which comprised 11 novels. The categories of Humanism namely Secular Humanism, Marxist Humanism, Religious Humanism, and Human Rights were defined in the light of available literature about the movement of Humanism, and the operational definitions were developed for the study. The novels, randomly chosen as the sample for the study, were analyzed by using, 'Qualitative Content Analysis Technique'. The contents of each novel were analyzed paragraph wise, on the basis of the operational definitions of the categories along with their themes. The data analysis reveals that Pakistani English novelists are not only well aware of the different aspects and facets of the movement of Humanism but also incorporate these concepts in their stories. Humanism, which is 'Human-being-ism', is that wave of conscience and realization which gives birth to such arts and literature that instil courage and confidence in the human beings to face and defeat not only helplessness but also show them the path of social, political and economic liberties. Pakistani English novelists are well aware of their responsibilities and duties as citizens. They are on the way to perform their role effectively in the establishment of a better human society in Pakistan at the creative level.