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.
