Puppet show ‘Pakkay Dost’s’ YouTube account hacked

Show’s creator Bilal Maqsood cautions people to not open any links from the channel

Hackers have taken over the social media account of Pakistani puppet show, Pakkay Dost.

The show’s creator, singer Bilal Maqsood, took to social media on Thursday and made the announcement.

“Our Pakkay Dost YouTube channel has been hacked and is currently under someone else’s control,” he wrote.

Bilal reassured viewers that the necessary course of action is in place. “We are already in touch with Google/YouTube and working to recover,” he wrote. Cautioning viewers to protect their security, he further penned, “Please do not click on any new videos or links from the channel until we confirm it’s safe.“

The puppet show came out in 2023 and its visuals and narrative garnered widespread acclaim, fostering a love for Urdu and imparting life lessons to children.

Bilal released a second volume of nursery rhymes from the show on YouTube last month.

Actor Sajal Ali gave her seal of approval and lauded Bilal’s work on social media then and wrote, “Bilal Maqsood, you are doing a great job!” She appreciated the show’s reignition of Urdu language amongst the youth, “Urdu is a beautiful language and it’s high time we stop running away from it.”

The show has previously received praise from parents too. “My kids absolutely adore Pakkay Dost. The little one didn’t speak any Urdu and now randomly sings Pani hay bachana(one of the nursery rhymes on the show).” read one Instagram comment. Another praised the show and wrote, “Wonderful initiative to promote Urdu language for the new generation,” with a string of clapping emojis.

In January, Bilal announced partnership with ConnectHear to make Pakkay Dost accessible to the hearing-impaired community through the integration of sign language interpretation. “We are very excited to partner with ConnectHear,” said Bilal. “Our mission is to bring joy, learning and cultural enrichment and create a brighter childhood for all children. This collaboration is a significant step towards making Pakkay Dost truly inclusive and ensuring that every child can experience the magic of our show.”

With the recent turn of events, Bilal asked for the support of his fans and wrote, “Pray for its recovery.”