The famous ‘Afghan girl’ immortalized through celebrated National Geographic magazine cover as a green-eyed 12-year-old girl was arrested on Wednesday from Pakistan for forging identity papers.
The historic image of Sharbat Gula was taken in a Pakistan refugee camp by photographer Steve McCurry and it went on to become the most famous cover image in the magazine’s history.
She now faces up to 14 years in jail, a Pakistani official warned.
Gula was arrested by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for fraud following a two-year-long investigation in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar and Shahid Ilyas an official of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) said, “FIA arrested Sharbat Gula, an Afghan woman, today for obtaining a fake ID card.”
Ilyas said that FIA is also seeking three NADRA officials who were found responsible for issuing Pakistan’s national identity card to Gula, who have been at large since the fraud was detected.
He said that Gula faces seven to 14 years prison time and fine between $3,000 to $5,000. The original image of Gula was taken in 1984 in a refugee camp in northwest Pakistan at the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Pakistan has launched a crackdown against those who have obtained fake ID cards fraudulently and launched a reverification campaign across the country.
