NatGeo fame: K-P moves to halt Gula’s deportation

Case took a fresh turn after Imran Khan urged K-P CM not to deport Sharbat Gula

PESHAWAR: A day after a special court convicted NatGeo’s iconic cover girl Sharbat Gula on charges of possessing forged identity papers, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to temporarily halt her deportation on humanitarian grounds.

The case took a fresh turn on Saturday after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak not to deport Sharbat Gula.



The spokesperson for the provincial government, Mushtaq Ghani, told The Express Tribune that directives had been forwarded to the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, adding that the case needed to be taken up at the federal level.

“We will request the federal government to grant her refugee status,” he said, adding that the move would create a better image of the province.

A knowledgeable source said that the court had ordered the superintendent of jail to make necessary arrangements for her deportation.

The court had imposed a fine of Rs110,000, which had already been paid, and sentenced her to 15 days in jail.

However; the court also ordered her deportation under the Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. Once she completes her prison term, according to the source, the provincial government could prolong her stay, citing safety concerns.



“This is not against the verdict,” said the source “This just temporarily halts the process on humanitarian grounds.” However; officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the court orders would have to be carried out in letter and spirit.

Another official said that the special court’s decision could only be challenged in the Supreme Court. However, he said, because Gula admitted to the crime, any appeal would only lengthen her stay in jail.

Gula refused to make any personal comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2016.