National Geographic’s iconic “Afghan Girl” arrested

You might remember the iconic photo of the Afghan girl with green eyes on the cover of National Geographic in 1984?

Well, 32 years later that girl is in a world of trouble in Pakistan.

Sharbat Gula became the face of the plight of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

The Guardian is reporting that Gula has been arrested as part of the Pakistani Government’s crackdown on Afghan refugees.

So, why has she been arrested?

Well, Gula been accused of living illegally in the country using false papers.

It turns out that last year Pakistani media released a photo from her computerised national identity card – something she shouldn’t have held as a foreigner.

She was arrested last night after a long investigation by authorities.

It’s not looking good for Gula, with officials stating she could face up to 14 years in jail and a fine of as much as $5000.

She’s not the only one in trouble though.

It’s being reported that authorities are chasing the three officers responsible for giving her an ID card.

You might be wondering why the Pakistani government is cracking down on Afghan refugees?

It all started when Taliban gunmen killed more than 130 schoolboys in the Peshawar region in 2014.

Although no Afghans were involved in the attack, the government committed to a plan to send refugees back to where they came from.

Pakistani authorities have begun shutting down bank and mobile phone accounts of Afghans without the right documents, prompting complaints of harassment and extortion.

The changes have seen more than 350,000 Afghan refugees return home this year.

But ironically, some of them were born in Pakistan and have never even been to Afghanistan.

Do you remember the Afghan girl? What do you think of the situation she’s facing?