Pakistani cartoon against social evils wows Indians

NEW DELHI: A female cartoon superhero who dons a burka to tackle crimes against girls and other social ills is bringing her message of women rights to India, the creator of the Pakistani children’s series said.
The Emmy-nominated “Burka Avenger” series started in Pakistan in August 2013 and has since launched in Afghanistan, winning global accolades including the Peabody Award, International Gender Equity Prize and Asian Media Award.
Its main protagonist, a teacher called Jiya — who tackles everything from the ban on girls going to school, to child labor to environmental degradation — was named as one of the most influential fictional characters of 2013 by Time magazine. The series’ creator and director Haroon Rashid said “Burka Avenger” would launch in India in April with the Zee Network and will be broadcast in four languages — Hindi, English, Tamil and Telegu.