Ijazat is a story of an ambitious low-income man (Hamza) who cannot afford the good things in life. He has a beautiful, doting wife who is simple yet morally strong and whose ambition is to send her two young children to a good school. Enter Nijaat, an actress, who believes everything is fair in love and war. Her goal is Hamza and she is out to destroy the peaceful life of the family. Relationships go haywire and the seemingly weak become strong, just as the strong break down under pressure.

Veteran television actors Uzma Gillani, Sakina Samoon, Jawed Sheikh and Samina Peerzada comprise the cast of the serial Ijazat, and were spotted at its launch in Karachi recently. Inviting the team on stage one by one was host Azfar Rahman. Humayun Saeed who plays the lead role said jokingly that the most difficult part during the serial was trying to keep the women happy as the serial is dominated by women, which includes his wife Samina who is one of the producers.

Ayesha Khan, his tormented wife in the story, felt very sorry for her character Muqaddas and had to control her temper while she played the role. On the other hand, Saadia Imam said that she was happy to play Nijaat, as there was a lot of room for performance. The writer Seema Ghazal explained that she had a soft corner for people like Muqaddas and thus focused her story on her. Misbah Khalid, who has a good number of serials under her belt, said that she liked plays which focus on relationships, and that Ijazat is based on a true story.

What was jarring was the constant chatter of the crowd during the event. Audiences need to be taught that it is impolite to talk when a programme is being conducted. Six Sigma also need to realise that programmes should begin on time as waiting only serves to make people all the more restless.