Pakistan: Deportation of iconic 'Afghan girl' is a grave injustice
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 4 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, Pakistan: Deportation of iconic 'Afghan girl' is a grave injustice, 4 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5825d7a14.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reacting to Pakistan's decision to deport Sharbat Gula, the iconic 'Afghan girl' whose striking portrait adorned a 1985 cover of National Geographic magazine, Amnesty International's South Asia Director Champa Patel said:
"Pakistan's decision to deport Sharbat Gula is a grave injustice. For decades, she was known as the world's most famous refugee and seen as a symbol of Pakistan's status as a generous host. Now, by sending her back to a country she hasn't seen in a generation and her children have never known, her plight has become emblematic of Pakistan's cruel treatment of Afghan refugees.
"By forcing Afghan refugees to return across the border into the arms of an increasingly deadly conflict, Pakistan is in breach of the principle of non-refoulement. It is putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk of serious human rights abuses."
Background
Sharbat Gula is poised to be deported to Afghanistan after serving a 15-day jail sentence and paying a fine, a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ruled today.
She was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on 26 October from her house in the Nauthia area of Peshawar for allegedly forging a Pakistani identity card.
