PESHAWAR: A special anti-corruption and immigration court on Friday ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed “Afghan Girl” whose 1985 photo in National Geographic became a symbol of her country’s wars, after finding her guilty of illegally obtaining a Computerised National Identity Card.

The court also sentenced her to 15 days imprisonment and fined her Rs110,000.

Farah Jamshed Khan, the special court judge, issued directions for Ms Gula, who was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Oct 26, to be deported to Afghanistan after completion of her sentence. Her prison term would be counted from the day of her arrest.

Ms Gula had pleaded guilty to six charges against her, including her illegal stay in Pakistan, forgery, cheating, tampering with documents and violation of the Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) Act.

Ms Gula was brought to the Federal Judicial Complex, where the special court functions, amid much media frenzy. A large number of reporters, photographers and cameramen had waited eagerly for her since morning till the judge ordered their expulsion from the courtroom.

The court indicted Ms Gula under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Nadra Act and the Foreigners Act. She was sentenced to 15 days imprisonment on all six counts, but the sentences would run concurrently. The court also fined her a total Rs110,000 under each of those sections.

Ms Gula was shifted from prison to the Lady Reading Hospital on Nov 2, the day her bail petition was rejected by the same court. She was suffering from hepatitis C.

Special prosecutor Jawed Khan Mohmand represented the FIA and Advocate Malik Mubahir Nazar appeared on behalf of Ms Gula. The FIA had submitted an interim challan on Nov 1, as it had completed its investigation in Ms Gula’s case.

The FIA claimed that Ms Gula had admitted during interrogation that she had earlier also acquired a national identity card.

On Oct 20, the FIA registered a case against three former Nadra employees for allegedly issuing computerised national identity cards to Ms Gula and two other Afghan nationals, shown to be her sons.

The FIR said it had established that three employees of Nadra’s Peshawar office, Palwasha Afridi, Mohsin Ehsan and Emad, were complicit in issuing Pakistani identity cards to Afghan nationals Sharbat Gula, Wali Khan and Rauf Khan.

They were charged under Sections 409, 419, 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and Section 30 of the Nadra Ordinance.

Palwasha Afridi and Mohsin Ahsan were granted pre-arrest bail but Emad has been absconding so far.

Dr Omar Zakhilwal, president’s special envoy and Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, said in a statement on Facebook: “With utmost delight, I announce that Sharbat Gula is now free from the legal troubles she endured over the past couple of weeks. She will soon be free from an uncertain life of a refugee as she will be on her way back to her own country by next Monday where she still is a beloved image and a national icon. She will be met by President Ashraf Ghani upon her arrival to welcome her back home and help her with her resettlement. I take this opportunity to thank all those who voiced their support and sympathy to the case of Sharbatgula. This includes prominent as well as ordinary people within the government, the civil society, the Peshawar Court and the FIA, the media and the public at large. You have all played a significant role resulting in today’s good news.”

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2016