Nat Geo's 'Afghan girl' imprisoned, fined for forgery

A special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar on Friday sentenced National Geographic famed Afghan woman Sharbat Gula to 15-days of imprisonment and levied a fine of Rs. 110,000 for forgery.

After completing her sentence she will be deported to Afghanistan, reports the Dawn.

Sharbat Gula was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for alleged forgery of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

Sharbat Gula's lawyer, Mubashir, said the accused had pleaded guilty to all charges against her in court today.

He said that she had already served about nine days in jail since her arrest and will remain imprisoned for six more to complete her sentence before she is deported to Afghanistan.

An interim challan submitted by the FIA on November 1 said the suspect had already admitted her guilt during her interrogation, an official in the know earlier said.

She became famous as the 'Afghan Girl' when National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry captured her photograph at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp situated on the edge of Peshawar in 1984 and identified her as Sharbat Gula.

She gained worldwide recognition when her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when she was around 12 years old.