Nat Geo’s Green-Eyed ‘Afghan Girl’ Arrested in Pakistan

The green-eyed ‘Afghan girl’ from the 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine, is etched in everyone’s minds because of the haunting and intense look on her face.

(Photo Courtesy: National Geographic)

The famous 'Afghan Girl' was arrested in Peshawar on Tuesday for illegally possessing a Pakistani identity card, reported Geo TV, a Pakistani news channel.

The green-eyed 'Afghan girl' from the 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine, is etched in everyone's minds because of the haunting and intense look on her face.

Sharbat Gula was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from the Nothia area of Pakistan.

Three National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officials were also suspended for allegedly issuing her the ID card illegally.

Sharbat, who is now in her 40s, was under investigation by Pakistani authorities for living in Pakistan with fraudulent identity documents.

Steve McCurry had photographed her for the the June 1985 cover of the National Geographic Magazine, which went to be known as one of its most-recognised covers.

Her intense stare at the camera and expressionless face likened her to the famous ‘Mona Lisa’ painting. Sharbat, who was pictured outside a refugee camp, became a symbol of the human cost of the Soviet War.

McCurry tried to find her years after taking the photograph and finally found her in Afghanistan and confirmed her identity using iris recognition. She had never seen her picture until 2002.

(Source: Geo TV)