Sharbat Gula may arrive in India in the next few days to receive free treatment offered by a hospital in Bengaluru.
She became the icon of the hapless civilian trapped in a civil war after her photograph featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985. Gula is now in her 40s and reportedly suffering from Hepatitis C and other ailments.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Shaida Abdail praised the hospital’s gesture.
After 1985, Gula slipped into obscurity and briefly came into the limelight when the same photographer trackrd her down as a care-worn adult. She made news again by being arrested by Pakistani authorities as part of a crackdown on illegals living in the country on fraudulent identity cards. At least 3,00,000 Afghan refugees currently live illegally in Pakistan, according to an estimate.
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