Pakistan denies bail to 'Afghan Girl'

National Geographic's famed green-eyed 'Afghan Girl', Sharbat Gulla, has been denied bail in Pakistan over allegedly forged ID papers.

Steve McCurry's famous picture of Afghan refugee woman Sharbat Gula, who has been arrested in Pakistan.

Steve McCurry's famous picture of Afghan refugee woman Sharbat Gula Source: Steve McCurry

A court in Pakistan has dismissed a bail plea from National Geographic's famed green-eyed 'Afghan Girl', arrested a week ago over allegedly forged ID papers.

Sharbat Gulla has denied the charges, insisting she didn't fraudulently obtain Pakistani nationality.

Prosecutor Mohsin Dawar says the court dismissed the plea on Wednesday, citing lack of evidence to prove Pakistani citizenship.

Gulla gained worldwide fame in 1984 as an Afghan refugee after war photographer Steve McCurry's photograph of her, with piercing green eyes, was published on the cover of National Geographic.

McCurry found her again in Afghanistan in 2002.

She surfaced in Pakistan in 2014, but went into hiding when authorities accused her of buying a fake Pakistani identity card.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has promised to release Gulla on bail.

Share
Published 3 November 2016 6:08am
Updated 3 November 2016 6:41am
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world