Iconic face: NatGeo’s Afghan girl denied bail

Afghan envoy calls on PM Nawaz to intervene in Sharbat Gula case

PESHAWAR: A local court on Wednesday denied bail to an Afghan woman immortalised on the cover of National Geographic magazine for illegally living in the country.

Sharbat Gula, who once stunned the world with her God-gifted green eyes on the magazine’s cover, was arrested in the provincial metropolis last week for falsifying documents and living illegally in the country

Special Court for Anti-Corruption and Immigration Judge Farah Jamshed denied her bail, saying the defence counsel focused on human rights and did not contain any legal arguments, especially in light of the applicability of Section 14 of the Foreigners Act 1946.

“During her illegal stay in Pakistan, she twice misused her position by obtaining a Computerised National Identity Card,” the judge said.

Gula faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted of fraud, though it is more common for undocumented Afghan refugees to be deported than to serve time in prison.

The court observed that the defence has admitted that the Afghan national came to Pakistan along with her family during the Afghan war, but the proof of registration (PoR) was not produced before the court, adding the counsel admitted that Gula obtained CNIC despite having been an Afghan refugee.

The court further observed that the First Information Report (FIR) registered against Gula, proved that she not only stayed illegally in Pakistan but also misused her stay, terming it the reason why her bail application was turned down.

Afghan ambassador

Soon after the judgment, Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal sought Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s good offices to secure her release.

“It was an opportunity for Pakistani authorities to send a good message by accepting Gula’s bail application,” Zakhilwal told the media at the Afghan consulate in the provincial capital.

Zakhilwal said the verdict contradicted government promises to set Gula free while referring to Sunday’s press conference of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who said that she should be granted bail.

The envoy said the mother of four was suffering from hepatitis. “Despite being world famous, Sharbat Gula is a poor widow and the sole head of her family,” Zakhilwal said.

“I call on the Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan, to whom I will also send a formal request, to intervene,” he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2016.