Pakistan court denies bail to Nat Geo’s famed ‘Afghan girl’

Sharbat Gula, who attained fame on the cover of an issue of the National Geographic magazine, has been in police custody since October 26 for allegedly having obtained fake identity papers to stay in Pakistan as a refugee. The special court in Peshawar had reserved its verdict a day earlier and on Tuesday rejected her bail application citing a lack of evidence to prove her Pakistani citizenship. The green-eyed Gula was arrested from her Peshawar residence for alleged forgery of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC). During the bail hearing on Tuesday, Gula’s lawyer had told the court that his client is the sole bread earner of her family and is suffering from Hepatitis C. Earlier in the week, Gula was sent to prison on judicial remand by a local court. She faces up to 14 years in jail. Her arrest highlighted the plight of millions of Afghan refugees staying in Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghan refugees who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979. It hosts more than 1 million registered Afghan refugees, according to United Nations Refugee Agency.