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National Geographic's iconic 'Afghan Girl' arrested in Pakistan for forged documents

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 11 February 2017, 5:47 IST

Sharbat Bibi, better known to the world as the iconic 'Afghan Girl' photographed by Steve McCurry, was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on corruption charges in Peshawar on 26 October.

Bibi, now in her 40s, was arrested from her residence in the Nothia area of Pakistan's Peshawar for being in illegal possession of a Pakistani ID card. The officials of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), who had allegedly issued her the ID card illegally have also been suspended.

Bibi has been arrested on charges of forging a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), FIA sources said.

According to a report in the Dawn, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) issued three CNICs to Sharbat Bibi and two men who claimed to be her sons sometime last year. It has however been found that the issuance of CNICs were in violation of the rules and procedures of NADRA.

Sharbat Bibi's claim to fame was her haunting face caught on camera by Steve McCurry, who had photographed her at a refugee camp near Peshawar in 1984. Bibi was 12 back then. Her face became the cover of the June 1985 issue of the National Geographic Magazine, bearing the title 'Afghan Girl'.

First published: 26 October 2016, 3:08 IST