Bail denied for ‘Afghan Girl’ accused of identification card forgery

A poster in Rome inspired by the National Geographic photo of Sharbat Gula, "the Afghan Girl." Gula was arrested in Peshawar, Pakistan, for allegedly carrying a forged identification card, and Wednesday was denied bail by a Peshawar court. Photo by Emmanuelle/Wikimedia

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 2 (UPI) — Bail for the iconic “Afghan Girl,” photographed in 1984 for the cover of National Geographic, was denied Wednesday in a Peshawar, Pakistan, court.

Sharbat Gula was arrested Oct. 26 for alleged forgery of a Pakistani identification card. Her lawyers said she suffers from Hepatitis C and high blood pressure and needs care, is a widow and sole provider for her family, and was traveling to her native Afghanistan when she was arrested. They added she should be grant bail because the Pakistani government extended the terms of the voluntary return to Afghanistan by Afghan refugees to Oct. 31.

Known as “The Afghan Girl” and the “Mona Lisa of the Afghan War,” Gula was a refugee fleeing Afghanistan during its occupation by the Soviet Union. She achieved a measure of fame when her photograph was published on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here