Lawyers, various organisations offer to fight Sharbat Gula’s case

PESHAWAR: A number of organizations and lawyers are offering to defend Sharbat Gula, the Afghan woman arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for fraudulently obtaining Pakistan’s computerized national identity card (CNIC) in the court of law.

Sharbat Gula, who became famous after her picture as a 12-year old refugee girl student made it to the cover of the National Geographic magazine in 1985, was sent by a court on judicial remand and is presently lodged at the Central Prison Peshawar. The next date of hearing in the case is November 11.

The FIA has booked her on three counts, all of which are bailable. Her bail application hasn’t yet been filed, but this could happen on coming Monday.

The green-eyed Sharbat Gula had allegedly acquired Pakistan’s CNIC in the hope of staying on in the country as a refugee as she feared her life will be in danger in Afghanistan. She is a widow and was worried for the safety of her three children, including a four-year old boy.

The Afghan embassy in Pakistan has reportedly contacted senior lawyer Latif Afridi to pursue Sharbat Gula’s case and seek her release.

A number of other lawyers also want to fight her case.

Steve McCurry, the American photographer who took the iconic photograph of Sharbat Gula in 1984 that made her famous all over the world, has also offered to hire a lawyer for her and help her shift to the US, Afghanistan and another country.

Sharbat Gula’s arrest has become big news in the world media and has caused an outpouring of sympathy for her. In her native Afghanistan, many Afghans were annoyed by her arrest in Pakistan and some took to the social media to express their anger. Their anger was directed against Pakistan and demands were made to the Afghan government to help in securing her release and bringing her home to Afghanistan.