Muhammad Hussain Panhwar (; 25 December 1925 – 21 April 2007), commonly known as M. H. Panhwar, was a Pakistani engineer, environmentalist, and a scholar of

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

historical geography Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. In its modern form, it is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with histor ...

, and

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

Early life

He was born on 25 December 1925 in the village of Ibrahim (Kachi),

Dadu District Dadu District (), () is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Sindh, Sindh Province, Pakistan. With headquarters in the city of Dadu, Pakistan, Dadu, the district was created in 1931 by merging Kotri and Mahal Kohistan (later Jamshoro) tehsils fro ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, to Haji Khan, a poor farmer. He completed his primary education in his village and matriculated from Mehar. In 1949, he earned a

B.E. A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a college graduate majoring in an engineering discipline at a higher education institution. In the United Kingdom, a Bac ...

in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from NED College (now a university). Later, he received a scholarship from the

Government of Sindh The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...

and earned a master's degree in Agricultural Engineering in the United States at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Career

Panhwar was a distinguished expert in environmental science, history, archaeology, anthropology, and geological studies. His expertise included groundwater development, earth moving, agricultural machinery, waterlogging, salinity control, drainage, and post-harvest agriculture. He worked as an agricultural engineer for the governments of

and

West Pakistan West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...

for four years, and later served as a superintending engineer for

and

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

until 1969. He authored 10 books on groundwater in Sindh and numerous papers on the Thar and Kohistan regions. In 1964, he established a horticultural farm focused on fruit crops, which was converted into a research station in 1985 to introduce new varieties adaptable to Sindh's climate. He wrote 36 books on agriculture and post-harvest processing. Considered a "one-man Sindhologist," Panhwar published over 500 pages covering diverse aspects of Sindh.

Personal life

Farzana authored numerous publications and represented Pakistan at various international conferences. In June 2003, Panhwar founded a trust for social welfare initiatives in Sindh. He donated his home, office, agricultural land, orchard, library, and other assets to the trust. Panhwar died on 21 April 2007.

Recognition

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

. * Gold Medal from University of Sindh for securing top position in B.E. (Mechanical and Electrical), 1949. * Included in "Who's Who" (1987–88) * Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) for contributions in history and archaeology, awarded by Tarqi Pasand Party * Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) for contributions in engineering and agriculture, awarded by Revivers * Named Top Horticulturist of Pakistan (2004) by ''Khabreen'', KisanTimes TV, and Chawla Group * Lifetime Research on Sindh Award (2004), Sindh Graduates Association * Lifetime Service to Agricultural Science Award (2004), Sindh Agriculture University

Works

Panhwar authored 10 books on groundwater and many articles on Thar and Kohistan deserts. He also wrote 36 books on agriculture and post-harvest fruit handling. * Panhwar, M. H. & Farzana, "Sustainable methods as applied to raising fruit crops", IOSHAR, Hyderabad and Sindh Society for Horticultural Science, Karachi, 1995 * Farzana Panhwar, "Flora of Thar and Kohistan Desert", J. Sindh Quarterly, Vol. XV, No. 3, 1988 * Farzana Panhwar, "New Resources for Oleochemical and Agrochemical Industry" * M. H. Panhwar & Farzana, "Design of an Aquaculture Enterprise", J. Pak. Agri., Vol. VII, No. 10, Oct 1985 * Farzana Panhwar, "Anaerobic Digestion and Use of Its Residues in Agriculture", Mehran Univ. Res. J., Vol. 12, No. 3, July 1993, pp. 18–22 * Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Scope for Prawn Farming along Sindh Coast", J. Sci. Tech. and Development * Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Samphire – An Edible Oil Crop for Sindh", DAWN Econ. & Business Review, May–June 1995 * Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Intellectual Property Rights Production", DAWN Econ. & Business Rev., Dec. 1995 * Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Flying Fox as New Agriculture Pest" * Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Neem vs. Eucalyptus in Social Forestry of Pakistan" * M. H. Panhwar & Farzana, "Scope for Prawn Farming along Sindh Coast", PIMA Magazine * Sikandar Ali Arbani, Farzana & M. H. Panhwar, "Anaerobic Digestion and Its Agricultural Use", Mehran Univ. * "Chiku or Sapodilla – The Neglected Fruit of Sindh", Newsletter of Sindh Society for Horticultural Science * "World Rural Women's Day Celebrated in Hyderabad", Sindh Agriculture, Nov. 1997 * "Earthworms, Vermicasts and Vermiculture", Wildlife & Environment, Oct–Dec 1997, pp. 25–29

References

Bibliography

* * {{cite journal , last1=Baloach , first1=Rafique , title=ایم. ايچ پنهور جو ادب ۽ تاريخ ۾ حصو: ھڪ تحقيقي جائزو, trans-title=Contribution of M.H. Panhwar in Literature and History: A Research Analysis , journal=Kalich Research Journal , date=2020 , volume=6 , pages=49–64 , url=https://sujo.usindh.edu.pk/index.php/KALICH/article/view/3230 , publisher=University of Karachi , language=sd Sindhi scholars Sindhi male writers Sindhi people Pakistani engineers Pakistani environmentalists Pakistani historians Pakistani archaeologists Pakistani writers NED University of Engineering & Technology alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz People from Dadu District Agricultural engineers Pakistani philanthropists