Permission

Leaping between a Heathrow immigration line and a rooftop in Karachi, Hanna navigates her political and sexual autonomy by embodying the image of a ‘respectable’ Pakistani woman. Her best friend, Minza, has little time for respectability politics. Their tender friendship, set against the relentless backdrop of Karachi, is put to the test when Hanna moves to London to pursue freedom and independence, while Minza remains in Karachi to fight for freedom on the picket line. Through their journeys, the play casts a questioning eye on the trope of ‘the oppressed Muslim woman’ and the link between patriarchy, protest and the global political order.