How writer Hunia Chawla found freedom in her play 'Permission'
The writer described as a bold voice in contemporary theatre discusses her play Permission, which has its premiere at The Space Theatre in London on May 28.
Hunia Chawla
By Eastern EyeMay 10, 2024
NEW theatre play Permission follows a newly arrived Pakistani woman in London as she wrestles the expectations of being ‘respectable’, while being torn between a love for community and rebellion in a foreign land.
The fiercely feminist production leaping between different worlds, looks at themes that include freedom and identity.
The Arts Council backed production, which is written by Hunia Chawla, signals the beginning of an exciting journey for the new creative talent from Karachi.
Eastern Eye caught up with the writer described as a bold voice in contemporary theatre to discuss her play Permission, which has its premiere at The Space Theatre in London on May 28.
What first connected you to writing?
I have maintained a journal for as long as I can remember – writing for me has always been a way to connect with myself with honesty and empathy.
What inspired your new play?
Permission is inspired by the lives and struggles of all the women I’ve known while growing up in Pakistan, and the women we are about to become.
Tell us about the story.
Told in a two-hander format, the play explores the story of a newly immigrated Pakistani woman in the UK, and how she balances friendship and filial duty with a new-found sense of agency as an economic immigrant in the UK.
Who do you hope will connect with your play, Permission?
The socially and politically curious. Liberation stories about south Asian/ Muslim women often use white experiences as a measure of empowerment and freedom. The play begs the question - who decides what liberation looks like?
The poster for her new production, Permission.
What is your own favourite moment in the show?
I love the moments between Hanna and Minza when they’re joking around.
What inspired the interesting title of the show?
A lot of south Asian teenagers use the word ‘permission’ in sentences such as ‘I don’t have permission’, ‘I might not get permission’ or ‘I need to ask for permission’. The play takes the aspiration for ‘permission’ and places it into adult life, examining how it interacts with larger power structures outside of identity politics.
How does it feel to have accomplished actress Anisa Butt in the lead role?
I am absolutely thrilled about that. Anisa is brilliant.
She is the lead actor and executive producer on the show. We have been working together on this play for a while now. She is extremely talented and ambitious. I’m really excited to see her shine on stage.
How do you feel ahead of the show being staged in London?
I am really excited and grateful. It’s no small feat to stage a show in London.
But life has been kind, and everyone, including friends and strangers alike, have been extremely supportive.
According to you, what makes for great theatre?
I would say honesty, vision, and clever use of metaphor.
What fuels your creative inspiration?
Different things inspire me, including day-today conversations, a good book, film, song and so much more.
What are your aspirations for this production moving forward?
To stage this on one of London’s prominent fringe theatres, for more people to watch and enjoy the play.
Why should we all come and watch the show?
Because it’s a story that will make you think, laugh and cry at the same time. And because there are not many contemporary stories written by first generation immigrants in the UK that boldly address such topics around immigration, liberation, and justice.
Permission will be staged at The Space Theatre, 269 Westferry Road, London E14 3RS, from May 28 – June 1. Instagram: @Permission_ Play and www.space.org.uk
• Faissal Khan, brother of Aamir Khan, says his family forced him to marry his mother’s cousin after his divorce in 2002 • He alleges Aamir Khan had an affair with British journalist Jessica Hines and fathered her son Jaan • Faissal claims his family branded him mentally ill after he resisted their pressure to marry • He has now cut ties with Aamir Khan and issued a public notice declaring independence • Aamir Khan’s family earlier dismissed Faissal’s statements as “hurtful and misleading”
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s brother Faissal Khan has once again stirred controversy with explosive revelations about his strained relationship with the family. Speaking at a recent press interaction, Faissal not only alleged that he was pressured to marry his aunt after his divorce but also revived long-standing rumours about Aamir’s alleged relationship with journalist Jessica Hines.
According to Faissal, the Khan family turned against him after he separated from his wife in 2002, just four months into the marriage. He claimed relatives insisted he marry his mother’s first cousin, a proposal he refused. “My family was pressuring me to marry my aunt. When I refused, my mother and others became angry, and soon after they started calling me mad,” he said, adding that repeated arguments eventually led him to leave the family home.
Faissal’s controversial letter and Jessica Hines claims
Faissal revealed that his fallout deepened after he wrote a letter criticising family member, including his elder sister Nikhat. In the same letter, he alleged that Aamir Khan had an affair with British journalist Jessica Hines and secretly fathered her son Jaan.
The explosive claim reignited decades-old gossip surrounding Aamir’s personal life, though the superstar has never confirmed or denied such reports. Faissal said the letter led his relatives to brand him mentally unstable, worsening his isolation from the family.
Faissal Khan accuses his family of calling him mentally unstable after his refusalInstagram/faissal.khan
How Aamir Khan’s family responded
The Khan household has repeatedly refuted Faissal’s statements. In an earlier joint response signed by Aamir’s ex-wife Reena Datta, his children Junaid and Ira, filmmaker Mansoor Khan, Imran Khan and others, the family said his remarks were “hurtful and misleading.”
They maintained that every decision regarding Faissal’s wellbeing had been made “with love, concern, and medical consultation.”
The rift between Aamir Khan and brother Faissal deepens as shocking family secrets come to lightGetty Images
Cutting ties with the Khans
Last week, Faissal formally announced via Instagram that he had severed all ties with his famous brother and the rest of the family. He declared in a public notice that he would no longer live in Aamir Khan’s residence, accept any allowance, or claim rights to the family estate.
“With a heavy heart yet renewed courage, I wish to share that I have severed all family ties,” Faissal wrote. “This step is essential for my healing and growth. Life now enters a new chapter of freedom, dignity, and self-discovery.”
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ASHVIR SINGH JOHAL has been named manager of Morecambe, becoming the first Sikh to take charge of a professional football club in Britain.
At 30, Johal is also now the youngest manager in England’s top five divisions. He takes over following the club’s recent takeover by the Panjab Warriors consortium and the departure of former boss Derek Adams.
Johal experience from roles at Leicester City’s academy, Wigan Athletic, and Italian side Como. He worked under Kolo Touré at Wigan and assisted Cesc Fàbregas with Como’s youth team.
He recently completed his UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification, and has spent over a decade in player development.
In a previous interview with the BBC, Johal said: "I have been fortunate to work with and learn from some incredible people, and I'm especially grateful to Kolo and Cesc. I know what world-class standards look like, how to lead with clarity, and how to develop a team with a real identity.
"We will create an environment that brings the best out of people, that people want to be part of, and that drives people to improve every day."
His appointment follows a difficult period for Morecambe. The National League suspended the club over non-compliance with league rules, leading to postponed fixtures. The team is due to play Altrincham on Saturday (23), but as of Tuesday (19), they had only five contracted players and were not insured to train, making another delay likely.
Johal said his first focus will be to “identify the players as we need to perform well in the National League.”
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Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping during their meeting in October 2024.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi will visit China later in August, his security chief said on Tuesday (19), during talks with Beijing's foreign minister in New Delhi.
Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit opening on August 31 in Tianjin, his first visit to China since 2018, Ajit Doval said, in public comments at the start of a meeting with Beijing's foreign minister Wang Yi.
"Our prime minister will be visiting for the SCO summit," Doval said, speaking of "new energy" in diplomatic ties.
China "attaches great importance" to Modi's visit to the SCO summit, Wang said, according to an official translator.
"History and reality proves once again that a healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the fundamental and long term interests of both of our countries," Wang added.
The comments came as the neighbours rebuild ties damaged by a 2020 border clash.
"There has been an upward trend. Borders have been quiet. There has been peace and tranquillity," Doval told Wang as he opened the talks.
"Our bilateral engagements have been more substantial. The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we are working on.”
Wang said the setbacks the two countries experienced over the past few years were not in the interests of the people of the two countries, according to a translation of his remarks.
During talks on Monday (18) with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's foreign minister, Wang said the two countries should "view each other as partners and opportunities, rather than adversaries or threats".
He pointed to the resumption of "dialogue at all levels" and "maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas" as evidence bilateral ties were on a "positive trend of returning to the main path of cooperation".
Earlier on Tuesday, an Indian source said China had promised to address three key Indian concerns.
Wang, the source said, had assured Jaishankar that Beijing is addressing India’s need for fertilisers, rare earths and tunnel boring machines.
The Indian foreign and mines ministries did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
China's commerce ministry also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately clear whether China had agreed to approve export licenses faster or grant blanket exemptions for India.
China has previously committed to speeding up export licenses for Europe and the US, without actually dismantling the control regime.
China's exports of rare earths and related magnets jumped in June after these agreements and as the commerce ministry worked through a huge backlog of applications.
However, rare earth magnet exports to India were still down 58 per cent compared to January levels, according to Chinese customs data.
June is the last month for which country-level data is available.
India has the world's fifth-largest rare earth reserves, at 6.9 million metric tons, but there is no domestic magnet production. India relies on imported magnets, mainly from China.
Bilateral relations have improved since October, when Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping met for the first time in five years in Russia.
Chinese and Indian officials have said in recent weeks that the two countries were discussing the resumption of border trade, which has been halted since 2020.
Its resumption would be symbolically significant, and follows discussions to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas.
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Jasveen Sangha known as the Ketamine Queen pleads guilty in Matthew Perry case
British-American woman dubbed “Ketamine Queen” admits to supplying drugs that killed Friends actor
Faces up to 45 years in federal prison after plea deal with prosecutors
Sangha ran a North Hollywood “stash house” that supplied high-end clients with ketamine
She is the fifth and final defendant to plead guilty in the Matthew Perry overdose case
Matthew Perry’s shocking death in October 2023 continues to reverberate through Hollywood as a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” has pleaded guilty in the Matthew Perry overdose case. Jasveen Sangha, a 42-year-old dual citizen of the UK and the US, admitted to distributing ketamine that led to the Friends star’s fatal overdose. Her plea deal also ties her to a second fatality and exposes a darker side of celebrity drug networks.
Jasveen Sangha known as the Ketamine Queen pleads guilty in Matthew Perry case Getty Images/ Instagram/_thejuggernaut
Who is Jasveen Sangha and why was she called the “Ketamine Queen”?
Sangha earned her nickname from prosecutors after allegedly running a drug distribution hub out of her North Hollywood home, dubbed the “Sangha Stash House” in indictments. Federal agents seized more than 80 vials of ketamine along with methamphetamine, cocaine, Xanax, and cash during a raid in March 2024.
According to court filings, Sangha was known for supplying high-end clients, including people in Hollywood circles. On social media, she flaunted a glamorous lifestyle of international trips and celebrity parties, masking her role in a dangerous drug pipeline.
Jasveen Sangha admitted to selling drugs to high-end Hollywood clientsInstagram/bollywoodstreetsnap
What charges did Sangha plead guilty to in the Matthew Perry overdose case?
In her plea agreement, Sangha admitted to five federal charges: maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of ketamine distribution, and one count of distribution resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
She becomes the fifth and final defendant to plead guilty in the Matthew Perry overdose case. Others include Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, two doctors—Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia, and supplier Erik Fleming. Together, they admitted to exploiting Perry’s addiction by supplying him with escalating doses of ketamine in the weeks leading up to his death.
Matthew Perry died at 54 from the acute effects of ketamineGetty Images
How did ketamine contribute to Matthew Perry’s death?
The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine” after being injected multiple times by his assistant on 28 October 2023. The drug, normally used as an anaesthetic under medical supervision, can cause hallucinations and dissociation.
Perry had legally been prescribed ketamine as an experimental treatment for depression, but prosecutors say he turned to underground suppliers, including Sangha, when his legitimate prescriptions ran out. Days before his death, Perry allegedly paid £4,700 (₹5,00,000) in cash for 25 vials of unmarked ketamine supplied by Sangha.
Matthew Perry’s death linked to Jasveen Sangha’s ketamine supplyGetty Images
What sentence does Jasveen Sangha face?
Sangha faces a maximum of 45 years in federal prison when sentenced later this year. While judges are not bound by plea agreements, prosecutors have indicated they will recommend less than the maximum term.
As part of her deal, Sangha also admitted to selling ketamine to another man, Cody McLaury, who died of an overdose in 2019. Prosecutors said this highlights a longer history of dangerous drug sales beyond her connection to Matthew Perry.
Prosecutors said Sangha ran a North Hollywood stash house supplying ketamineInstagram/_thejuggernaut
The Justice Department confirmed that Sangha also agreed not to contest the forfeiture of assets seized in the investigation, including thousands in cash.
The birth of Lord Krishna was celebrated on 16 August 2025 at Siddhashram Dham. The Janmashtami festivities brought together hundreds of devotees who immersed themselves in bhajans, dances, and spiritual discourses from early morning until well past midnight.
The evening programme began at 8 pm, with devotional songs and cultural performances filling the ashram with joy and reverence. In his address, His Holiness Rajrajeshwar Guruji underlined the enduring relevance of Krishna’s life and teachings. “Krishna symbolises the triumph of dharma over adharma, truth over illusion, and love over hatred. Human life is a divine chance to practise compassion, service, and good karma,” he told the gathering.
As the clock struck midnight, marking Krishna’s birth, the temple resounded with chants of “Nand Gher Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki!” A touching highlight followed when Guruji performed a symbolic ritual with a child dressed as Baby Krishna, evoking the innocence and divinity of the Lord.