Nat Geo’s famed ‘Afghan Girl’ Sharbat Gula on Monday refused to stay in Pakistan a day after the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said she would not be deported to her country.
The anti-corruption and immigration court had ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula after finding her guilty of illegally obtaining a computerised national identity card.
The court had sentenced her to 15 days imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 110,000 on her.
Sharbat Gula and Afghan government, in an application submitted to the KP government, pleaded for her departure from Pakistan to Afghanistan on completion of her 15-day sentence on Wednesday (November 9).
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 Act.
A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner distanced itself from Sharbat Gula, claiming that she was not a registered refugee.
The decision of stopping her deportation was taken on Saturday by the provincial government on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.