The Jim Henson of Pakistan
Pakistan is a nation in constant political upheaval, with a new political scandal emerging seemingly every week. The latest scandal involves numerous parliamentarians with fake university degrees, a subject so tense the government has tried to silence the media from reporting it. Puppets on the other hand are harder to keep quiet.
Master puppeteer Farooq Qaisar's weekly show is full of satire and caricature of Pakistan's politics. A recent show had the puppet prime minister serenading a President Obama for money.
"Our contribution in the media is we again give the awareness to the people," says Qaisar. "This is good.. this is bad.. now you have to decide."
Decades as a children's puppeteer made him and his principle character, Uncle Segum, more than famous: they are trusted. Dubbed the Jim Henson of Pakistan by the Muppets creator himself, Qaisar now has reinvented his characters for a new generation.
"It's a serious show but we are doing it in a way that people should understand and at the same time they should laugh," says one of the producers, Shaista Yasmeen.
While the show is light-hearted tongue in cheek, some parliamentarians caught up in one of the shows recent sketches about fake degrees don't think it's a laughing matter.
Journalists in one province protested when the government there banned them from broadcasting about fake degrees that some parliamentarians had used to help them gain office. The puppet show has so far escaped the clampdown put on regular reporters.
Qaisar believes that's what makes their programming valuable. "Showing this fake degrees - this is the high work, the basic work of the media."
If you allow free entry to other countries partucularly west, just for four hours the entire nation called Pakistan will disaapear ( even patients in ICU and end stage will also run away ) .......
Atheism > Religion. If you don't believe in god or gods, then you live your current life to the fullest. You don't go around ruining other people's lives to guarantee you a slot in the afterlife paradise if you realize that Life is worth living, not exploding.
The only part I under stood was his name!!!
That is the fault of the Muslin People... It isn't they didn't have any chance to learn what is right and what is wrong!!!
Testing
You said that already!!!
Shouldn't this article be under the Pakistani Crossroads?
A wise Person has a Brain to think with!!!
This story is supposed to be a positive thing about Pakistan (that there are hidden gems). Bust see how the discussion is going! They had to drag India into this. This clearly shows the complex some of these people are having.
First you have a brain – it is there is use it and to reason with it. Have you heard of Google? Type Islamic beheading, particularly Islamic genocide etc.
Why would anyone pretend to be a Christian? On the other hand you are always pretending to be Christians and it's not working.
And don't be lazy – google genocide by Muslims.
Who in their right mind would want to be either a Christan are Muslin!!!
Why would anyone pretend to be a Christian, you pedophile follower?
Because they are Crazy!!!
it was great to see uncle sargam and farooq qaiser on cnn and the clip posted by omer akhtar is funny hi hi hi.
Insane fanatics killing Ahmedis, Shia Sunni killing each other that's the drama I like to read about.
armad,
Indians don't drag Americans – it's you guys – get your facts straight.
india was ready to fight the war but it was america who forced india not to start war for paki were going to move their forces to indian border resulting in more USA troops to paki border,,,,,,,and more troops to afghanistan.....
Pakistan are Afghanistan would start a war against India... Like Israel started the wars with the Arab League!!! Why would any Country with less People to lose go after a Country that has 10 time more people to lose??? That be kind of stupid!!!
Yak, Let me remind you about the genocide of innocent kafirs in Bangladesh and Armenia. The fringe Aghori who religion does not have any basis in Hinduism is still more civilized than murderers of kafirs – because he is not a murderer – his only fault is that his religion may be disgusting.
Yak Yak
Muslims saw each others head off, kill others and each other every day and have done so throughout history. You may make yourself feel better by watching at an Aghori who is actually more civilized than murderers of kafirs.
Secondly, Aghori is a fringe sect. They don't have origins in the Vedas.
They not only kill Their own... But they kill anyone that doesn't agree with their way of thinking!!!
Either there are two different Umme Omar's here, or he is trying to deceive us. Read what they say: one is supportive of freedom and education and the other is an Islamist who says something about India (wha...?) and thinks Islam is "perfect".. Maybe he doesn't realize himself how contradictory this is. But take note: no rational person thinks anything is "perfect". An irrational belief such as that can only come from indoctrination since birth. I wouldn't be able to tolerate it. The Americans I know wouldn't tolerate it. No one in their right minds wants to live under a totalitarian system run by religious leaders. Is this why we are fighting a puny sort of war against the greatest threat to freedom on the planet? We really need to do more. Remember 9/11. For a whole day, we were angry, but it's faded since we are fighting the war in a limited way. Islam should have a chance to reform, but if Umme Omar is our example, there may be no hope. In that case, we will do what is necessary, as we have done before. Islamists may want to look away from their 'perfect' religion for a minute and see what we do when it is necessary.
How long until this man is stoned for being a free thinker?
“this man” Farooq Qaiser has been performing with his puppet Uncle Sergam for last 30 years on Pakistan TV. He and there are many more comedians, especially now on Pakistani TV channels, who raise their voice against government policies/incompetency through satire. They are all alive, and respected by our society. You can read our prominent and widely circulated newspaper Dawn (www.dawn.com) to see how much press freedom exists in Pakistan and what is general public perception is.
Maybe they should make a movie about pakistan in the war on terror with muppets!
Well said. Yes, you must be patient. And you must educate your children, and stop listening to your mullahs who use your religion to control you politically. Speak out against this! Your future depends on this, because the rest of the world is getting very tired of the conflation of religion and politics in Islam. Islam MUST reform or the time will come when everyone else will agree it must be destroyed. Sorry about that, but I see that as true.
wastrel, first lets solve India's own problems, Just because you are good at marketing and publicity, does not mean you are a super power. Please wake up. Islam does not need to be reformed, it already is the perfect relgion. Do your own soulsearching, you are the one who needs to be reformed.
I still think it funny... a jim henson muppet of reality, whether for joke or political news distribution.. why cant america think of this on colbert report?
There used to be a puppet based satire about Washington in the late eighties called DC Follies. The comedian Fred Willard was the only live action regular on it.
It's Uncle Sargam. Respect!
Sort of reminds me of that old and wonderful puppet show DC Follies. Short lived show, but very funny puppet show making fun of nearly every politician.
Wait, why is this article in the Afghanistan Crossroads page if this is an article about someone from Pakistan? As intertwined as the destiny of these two countries are, it doesn't mean they both are one and the same!
Because they have the same Enemies!!!
"...no one was forced to be Muslim" hmmm not sure your Uncle Laden will agree with you?
"...Before Islam The Population of India was enslaved by the Egyptians" wow you are smart, which terrorist camp do you go?
Ted and Abomek: The Pharroh was just a man just like Jesus was!!! He was the Emperor of Egypt... They took People that they won wars against and made them slaves to build Their pyramids!!!
DEGREES ARE FAKE OR NOT ,IS NOT A QUESTION. QUESTION IS THE XPLOITATIONS OF A COMMON MAN BY ALL PAKISTANI AUTHORITIES & THIERE GOSSIP BUSINESS, INCORPORATED BY MEDIA,JUDICIARY,democratic heoro,SECURITY contractors& THIER INTERNATIONAL BROTHERS(PARTENERS) ETC. PAKISTAN'S RANKING IN THE FAILED STATES,RANKING IN CORRUPTION,RELATIVE POVERTY GRAPH,AND THE OBLIGATORY SACRIFYCINGS –CASHING BY THIER DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES, SECURITY GUARDS AND THE UNO. ALL OTHRE OTHER DISSCUSSIONS OF" LEGAL & ILLEGAL" ARE IRRELEVANT -SO FAKED ONE. ALL ARE FILLING THIER UNFULFILLED LUST & THE 85% HAVE NOTHING TO FILL THIER BELLIES IN THE 21st century,despite of hard working & atomic power. every thing belongs to a common man -vote,security,taxes and national antem,but only they suffered in real terms...???
Blah blah blah...I quit reading after 3 words due to yelling.
WHY ARE YOU YELLING??? At least now Pakistan is trying to get the tarriest out of Their Country,,, Hopefully next they will start doing the rest!!! The Problem with you right wings is you want everything to be perfect before it is done!!! Please name one thing that is perfect in this World???
and the real term is muslims in paki is totally unsatisfied and not happy compared that wil muslims in india who acknowledges that muslims we people are more happier then musliimsin paki if u r real man call feroz khan and ask him and that's why terrorist trainer ISI denied his visa to visit paki truth hurts
Pakistan and Afghanistan have always been the victim of international conspiracies as their strategic location has always been the main problem behind their deprivation being the two independent and sovereign nations or states. First British Empire used both states against USSR, and today USA using it in the war for their sphere of influence in this region. Exploiting the ignorence, backwardness, and poverty of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan, USA have hired services of few puppits and have imposed them as their rulers, despite the fact that they are not democratically elected. So whatever is the situation here in these two states, the credit goes to USA THEREFORE instead of cursing these two states or nations WE all must BLAME USA and their PUPPITS for present catastrophic situation in this region.
That is why the United States is doing it this way rather than the way the others did it!!!
Folks, come on. Seriously. The message in the article is about the political system and the openness with which someone is trying to confront the issues via a puppet. Why does everyone on the blog needs to bring in hate speech? For once, have an intelligent dialog about the point vs. talking smack about religions and nuking others. Easy to do if you live in trailers or basements. Please prove otherwise with intelligent thoughts – for once
These wars are a farce, pakistan was stable until america invaded afghanistan and india started funding these people to attack pakistan. anyone who has ever been to afghanistan knows that india has the highest number of 'consulates' in afghanistan, even more then the US. these according to mushraff, were the places from where indian intelligence supported attacks in balochistan and north of pakistan.
Pakistan will take its revenge soon, im totally convinced now , that the only way for the survival of pakistan is through the destruction of india. it will be slow, painful, and fun to watch
... revenge, kill, destruction, war, invasion... is there anything else you moslems think of?
The only farce around here is you!!!
Statements from Pakistani Intelligence chief:
"“The foreign powers are involved in terrorism and destabilization of the country.”
“The US policy against terrorism is under consideration and the changes will be brought with time in accordance with the national interest,” he said. This is not new claim inside Pakistan, many Pakistani political commentators have been speaking publicly about this phenomenon.
It is alleged that terrorist activities inside Pakistan were actively carried out by the CIA, the RAW and the MOSSAD for different purposes. Chief among those, is changing the public perception of the War on Terror in the favor of the United States. There are confirmed reports that to achieve its objectives the CIA hired the services of at least a dozen Afghan warlords inside Afghanistan and provided through them arms and finances to militants in FATA and Swat to carry out murders and devastation in the country.
It was like a double-edged sword not only to get the Army launch attacks against Taliban on Pakistani side of the border but also to give a message to the ISI that the CIA can use the Pakistani Taliban against their own security forces.
Thousands of people have been killed in Pakistan due to terror attacks since the beginning of war on terror.
Who is considering it the Muslin??? Because Nato, UN and the other Countries are helping fight against the tarriest in Afghanistan!!!
Professor Ramesh what the heck do you teach, or is that just to give yourself fake credibility. Its always hilarious when Indians think that their country is growing has become an economic powerhouse. Fact of the matter is about 440 million people in India are living below the poverty line. So all that glitz and glamour isn't getting the poor of India lifted. Like the U.S the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Compare that to the 22% or about 20-30 million in Pakistan. What fake generals are referring to Gen. Kayani and Musharraf are the best generals that have eber taken command of the army. Smoke your hate pipe all you want, the amount of issues Pakistan is dealing is overwhelming to any developing nation but still it stands strong.
wait a min...pakistan is "developing".....your economy is in a HOLE. get real. ignoring the fact wont change the fact. oh and btw india is growing about 9% and soon double digit. your a moron.
Who's ignoring the problem first off Pakistan economy is not in a Hole, which would mean Pakistan is under negative GDP growth which it is not. Last I checked Pakistan's economy was growing faster than the U.S economy until this economic slide. Please don 't throw percentages around like India is becoming a shining beacon to the world. You obvioulsy didn't even read what I said in my post having almost 500 million people under the poverty line doesn't make India so special. First of go read the definition for a developing economy and then post your garbage on here until then you're just a typical American who thinks he has the answer to everything.
Shaw, India is growing? From where? According to BBC report today, India has 57 million poorest people in the world. Malnourished children, slums, poverty and illiteracy. Please Indian brothers, stop hiding truth and your gold and bank balance and start giving charity to your own people and then talk to Pakistanis. Their media is free, they are awake. You are sleeping , wake up.
Only time will tell with what will happen in Pakistan,,, Just like it will be with Iraq and Afghanistan!!! We have to hope that our help will make a difference...
Umme Omar: Until India get all of Their People working and give equal rights to all the People... They will never be able to do anything like the United State, England, France and Russia!!!
what are you talking about pkai i mean isi i mean terrorist trainer i mean paki who blackmails USA for free Billions $$ is failed state
This is great story. I love it. They are Crooks, all of them.
Its sad that the bulletin board has been hijacked by an immature lot. Does anyone actually have read the article. I wanted to correct the name of the puppet is Uncle Sergum and not Uncle Segum as reported. The rest of you. please grow up.
Finally, a sane write-up. You are right, no one really has a clue about what the real story here is. Its all the same red neck responses by absolute nuts on this blog.
Thank you Nic Robertsen for this report. It is so great to hear about things other than terrorists and bombs.
BobWhoLikesBeef also hates Pork. Hence Bob is a Paki.
Thr Asians don't eat beef and the Muslin and Jews don't eat pork!!!
India has more problems than Pakistan because the two main groups Hindus and Muslims are up each others throats.
Btw, you can't force someone into a religion, the switch from catholic to protestant England is the perfect example. Nice try guys 😉
Whoa dude, u never heard of ghori, ghazni, sikander of kashmir is it? babar was said to have massacared and made a victory tower of heads when a town did not convert after his victory. Sitting on ur sofa in USA it is pretty easy to comment, try being a minority in pakistan, i bet even you will be roasted even if u r a muslim coz u need to be a sunni muslim n not the Ahmediyas or Shias. Wake up Bob! Got get some coffee and a history book
Try being minority in Pakistan....
Abdus Salam was the first Nobel price winner Pakistani. He was muslim but a minority sect within Muslims. Abdus Salam was buried in Chenab Nagar, his tombstone said “Abdus Salam the First Muslim Nobel Laureate”. Needless to say, the police arrived with a magistrate and rubbed off the ‘Muslim’ part of the katba. Now the tombstone says: Abdus Salam the First Nobel Laureate.
What I can't understand why they bring Religion into Politics!!! That is what is messing up the United states...
till india takes away human rights form muslims in india like terrorist trainer pakistan and it's intelligency does from hindus in paki land india will have to pay it price with terrorist trainer paki intelligency agency
Excellent-Pakistan is nation which has collection of uneducated people and fake Generals
I agree, it is a nation born out of turmoil and division of the masses. Unfortunately I see no end in sight to the plight of the pakistani people.
Know matter how educated are how they got started!!! They still have the right to do what ever they want with Their Country... All we can do is try to stir them in the right direction!!!
What right does one Country that can't take care of their own People have the right to tell another what they should be doing!!!
Typical bigoted response of an indian. As if india is not full of greedy and corrupt politicians and generals. Take your head out of your backside Prof. and pay a visit to your homeland. If its so perfect why don't you live there yourself?
bingo!! thanks for showing lunatics indian their made in india Mirror. i havent seen more hypocrite people on the face of this earth then indians.
You r absolutely bang on Prof. Paki-satan is a failed state with bunch of liars and hypocrits with their heads in the sand. Atleast india doesnt have problem acknowledging that it has problems when it does. Unless Pak lifts their heads out of their .ss this problem will not be solved.....unless of course they are blown to bits.
Nobody can force you to believe in a religion – funny – I'm sure most of the population of Pakistan knows already that most of the politicians don't have degrees
Ronald regan etc; were all Ph.Ds,and EDISON was a post doctor.Oh,what on time dicussion.......fake,faked & will be faked?
I dont even understand what that means... Muslims around the world are being hijacked by other Muslims. Until we all stand up together against the true villians here, we'll just give them power as we bicker amongst ourselves. This isn't about Islam, Christianity, or Judaism... it's about hate, power, and greed. And for the Westerners on here – understand Eastern problems require an Eastern solution - just as Western problems require a Western solution. Your wife is out whoring? Put her in a hijab... I bet men won't lust after her. Would that work in the West? No, because it's an EASTERN solution. I digress...
Coexist people. Don't hate each other, no religion calls for us to hate each other... and take the time to understand someone else's point of view before you judge.
You talk about another loser!!!
and one more thing , Muslims don't even consider them Muslims
That is just as the Orthadox Jews not considering other Jews Jews!!! It doesn't make it so...
The one thing I don't understand is why they can't live with each other??? They are all muslin!!!!
Its not about Islam or Muslims; these people are uneducated, power hungry fools working for self interests and using, and abusing religion and desperate Muslim youth. They are friend of no one!
Who's fault is that??? There sure is enough money because of all the oil there... They rather kill their People than share with them!!!
They use Islam as an excuse. They are not properly interpreting Islam. Just using it for their own selfish benefits.
It sounds like the Republican, Rich and Big Corporations!!!
For one thing the United States is not a true Democratic Country... When Bush got office by the Supreme Court twice and now the Republicans can stop the Democrats from passing anything!!! That is not the Democratic way that the Majority rules...
The United States isn't much better... The only difference we are doing our killing there!!! The Republicans are just as crocked!!! The difference they are Americans...
Yeah, cuz NO democrat was ever crooked. Get real!
The current leaders of Pakistan are no more no less than puppets themselves catering to MIC(the military-industrial-complex) in Washington and they're fighting our proxy war against the Pakistani Taliban and we bankroll their national economy.
They should be working with Pakistan not against them!!! They both have the same enemies!!!
Pakistan needs to get off the fence when it comes to the Taliban. ISI funds the Afghan taliban and is surprised when these undereducated zealots turn on them. Poll after poll has been conducted (the most recent by a university in Michigan, if Im not mistaken) that shows, while the vast majority of muslims view the Paki Taliban as evil they are still not willing to condemn the Taliban in A-stan. Meanwhile the US bankrolls the Paki government to help us fight this war and they in turn buy material for yet another war, (and yet another defeat) against India.
IMO the answer is a clear separation between education and religious teaching...Pakistan, sadly, is decades away from this, hopefully, however, guys like Farooq Qaisar will help bring about that change. The illogical nature of murdering in the name of faith will NEVER go away but perhaps, for Pakistan's sake, and for the world's sake, it will eventually become isolated incidents rather than the norm.
do you have honor? kill yourself!