(Web Desk) - Pakistani actress Meera’s younger sister, Shaista Abbas, a qualified lawyer based in London, has died after a prolonged battle with cancer, leaving the actress heartbroken as she was unable to travel to Britain despite repeated visa appeals on humanitarian grounds.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Meera confirmed that Shaista had passed away at a London hospital after battling cancer for several years. The actress expressed deep disappointment over the British authorities’ repeated refusal to grant her a visa to visit her ailing sister.
Shaista had been hospitalised for the past two months, while her health had remained fragile over the preceding year, during which she was repeatedly admitted to and discharged from hospital, according to another sister, Aksa Abbas.
Meera’s inability to visit her sister was linked to a prolonged immigration dispute with British authorities. In February 2025, she had been handed a 10-year entry ban following an immigration incident at Heathrow Airport. Her family maintained that the matter arose from misunderstandings during questioning in English.
Although the ban had expired, a subsequent visa application was reportedly refused after a travel agent submitted incorrect information, with British authorities citing false representations.
In July 2025, Meera publicly appealed to British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott to consider her visa application on humanitarian grounds, explaining that her sister was undergoing cancer treatment in London.
As Shaista’s condition deteriorated in September 2026, the actress renewed her appeal, saying her sister was suffering from advanced-stage cancer and expressing her desperation to reunite with her family in London.
Despite repeated appeals, Meera could not reach Britain before Shaista’s death.
Shaista Abbas will be laid to rest in London.