This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Deported From Pakistan, Nat Geo's 'Afghan Girl' Sharbat Gula Comes To India For Treatment

Sharbat, who's in her 40s now, suffers from Hepatitis C.
Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed
Mohammad Ismail / Reuters
Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed

Remember that "Afghan girl" from the cover photo of a National Geographic issue? She is coming to India for a free medical treatment.

On Saturday, Ambassador of Afghanistan to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali tweeted that the iconic "Afghan girl" would be receiving free treatment in India.

Sharbat Gula, whose striking green eyes were captured in an image taken by photographer Steve McCurry in a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1985 was deported from Pakistan earlier this month. According to reports, she was accused of living in Pakistan on fraudulent identity papers.

Sharbat, who's in her 40s now, suffers from Hepatitis C. She is now scheduled to travel to Bengaluru to receive treatment.

After she pleaded guilty to all charges against her, she was sentenced to 15 days in jail and a fine of Rs 110,000 by a special anti-corruption and immigration court.

However, following the sentence, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government offered to stop her deportation from the country but Sharbat refused to stay in Pakistan.

As a 20-year-old, Sharbat had became a symbol of Afghanistan's suffering during the 1980s Soviet occupation and US-backed mujahideen insurgency against it. The photograph became so iconic that it was likened to Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

While, the Ambassador of Afghanistan tweeted saying that Sharbat will be treated in a hospital in Bengaluru, sources at Narayana Health City told The Hindusaid that they had not received confirmation on whether or not she would be coming to the hospital for treatment.

Also see on HuffPost:

Geographic Bee

The National Geographic Bee 2015

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.