Uncle Sargam

Uncle Sargam is a beloved puppet character in Pakistan. He first appeared in the children's television show Kaliyan in 1976. Uncle Sargam is voiced by the award-winning puppeteer and television director Farooq Qaiser. Uncle Sargam is a satirical character and was the most vocal critic on state television under General Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship in the 1980s. He has also appeared in the TV show Daak Time in 1993, the talk show Syasi Kaliyan at Dawn News in 2010, and a show in Islamabad organized by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. In 2013, Uncle Sargam appeared in a charity show function organized by the NGO Mashal at the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad. In 2014, the Oxford University Press held an Uncle Sargam puppet show to help children differentiate between original and pirated books at Peshawar's Archives Library. In 2018, a diorama of Uncle Sargam was inaugurated at Lok Virsa Museum in Islamabad as a tribute to both the character and Farooq Qaiser.