American coverage of Pakistan tends not to focus on its role as a media laboratory, but a sudden growth of private television channels there has created fierce competition and an almost desperate need to innovate. One channel, Express News, has launched an animated news segment that is quickly gaining popularity. Called “Bankay Mian,” the cartoon features four characters who relate the day’s events in qawwali, a traditional singing style. Ayesha Akram spoke to creator Kamran Wajih.

What inspired the creation of “Bankay Mian”?

In our heterogeneous society, divided by fault lines of creed, caste, ideology, and belief, we felt there was a need for a platform where unbiased, open, direct, and dispassionate news could be delivered in a palatable format. This animated character is a post-modern version of patriotism, since Mian is always speaking about the people and for the people. We wanted to give birth to a format through which the concerns of ordinary citizens could be aired.

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