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Pakistan To Deport National Geographic's 'Afghan Girl'


Pakistani security officials escort Afghan refugee woman Sharbat Gula (C, in burqa), after a court hearing in Peshawar on November 4.
Pakistani security officials escort Afghan refugee woman Sharbat Gula (C, in burqa), after a court hearing in Peshawar on November 4.

An Afghan woman immortalized on the cover of National Geographic magazine is to be deported from Pakistan after serving a 15-day jail sentence.

A court in Peshawar also ordered Sharbat Gula on November 4 to pay a fine of 110,000 rupees ($1,050).

Gula, whose piercing green eyes made her famous as a child refugee, was arrested in the northwestern city of Peshawar on October 26 for allegedly living on fraudulent identity papers.

She was hospitalized after falling ill while in custody.

Her lawyer, Mohsin Dawar, told RFE/L’s Radio Mashaal that her client pleaded guilty to all charges against her.

Dawar said the detention period starts from the day she was arrested, meaning she has to remain in custody for four more days before she is deported from Pakistan.

A representative of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, Muhammad Naseem Kakarh, said Gula is expected to be transferred to Afghanistan on November 7-8.

With reporting by Dawn

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