Veteran actor Meera has appealed to the British government to grant her a visa on compassionate grounds so she can travel to London to see her sister, Shahista Abbas, who she said is suffering from advanced-stage cancer.
In a video circulating on social media, Meera directly addressed UK embassy officials and government authorities in Pakistan and London, asking them to consider her circumstances and allow her to travel.
“I speak to the London embassy and other government officials in Pakistan and London to request that they grant me a visa to see my sister Shahista Abbas, who is in London. She’s an advanced-stage cancer patient, and her condition is really serious,” she said.
She added that her mother, Shafqat Zahra Bukhari, and younger brother, Saeed Hussain Abbas, are also currently in London.
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Speaking from New York, Meera said her sister’s condition had deteriorated and that she urgently wanted to be by her side during what she described as an extremely difficult time for her family.
She appealed to British authorities to “consider my circumstances on humanitarian grounds and facilitate my case”, asking for permission to travel to London.
Meera has previously faced reported difficulties obtaining permission to enter the UK, where several members of her family are British nationals.
She also appealed to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott to consider her circumstances on humanitarian grounds and facilitate her visa application.
