Actress Roohi Bano passes away in Turkey

KARACHI: Legendary television and stage actor Roohi Bano passed away on Friday in a Turkish hospital. She was 67.

According to her sister, Rubina Yasmeen, the actor was placed on a ventilator since the past 10 days in a Turkish hospital. “She had been suffering from kidney failure.”

“Roohi Bano, the winner of President’s Pride of Performance Award and two PTV awards had also been suffering from schizophrenia. She was said to have spiraled into depression after her only son, Ali was murdered in 2005,” reported Radio Pakistan.

Bano is best known for her work during in dramas such as Qila Kahani, Zard Gulab, Hairat Qadah, Darwaza and Kiran Kahani.

Two failed marriages and her son’s murder deeply wounded her soul, pushing her into a depressed state which engulfed her with schizophrenia. However, the medication breaks and lack of emotional support undid all the progress she was making earlier after being treated at the “fountain house” care facility.

According to her doctor, she was being treated with art and drama therapy and required round-the-clock medication and care but if the prescribed medication is stopped then the chances of a relapse are highly probable.

Four years ago on April  28, 2015, Bano revealed that a person named Khurram Shehzad had attacked her inside her house the previous night. She was immediately taken to Services Hospital last night where she received four stitches behind the ear.

Bano had ater lodged a complaint with Gulberg police and subsequently a case was registered against Shehzad under section 506 of Pakistan Penal Code.

Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the DIG Operations.

A special police team headed by DSP Gulberg Qadir Bajwa was formed to probe the incident and nabbed the accused.

Sources relayed that the assailant was a friend of Bano’s late son.