KARACHI: In a heartbreaking development, celebrated television actress Ayesha Khan was found dead in her flat in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Karachi.
According to police, the 77-year-old actress had been living alone, and her body, believed to be around a week old, was discovered after neighbours reported a strong odour emanating from her apartment.
The discovery was made after concerned neighbours informed her family, who then alerted authorities. Police shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities before it was moved to Edhi Foundation’s mortuary at Sohrab Goth.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted if requested by her family.
Funeral arrangements, including time and place, will be announced later.
Born in 1948, Ayesha Khan was a veteran of Pakistan Television’s golden era, remembered for iconic roles in serials like Afshan, Uroosa, Aanch, Bandhan, and Shaam Se Pehle. Her nuanced portrayal of a grieving woman in Afshan — where she raised her brother’s daughter after her husband fled during Partition — remains one of her most acclaimed performances.
Ayesha was also the elder sister of the late actress Khalida Riasat, another distinguished name in Pakistan’s television history.
Expressing his grief, Arts Council of Pakistan President Ahmed Shah said, “She acted for more than 50 years. Her death is a profound loss for Pakistan’s drama industry.”
