PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Wednesday suspended its four officials for issuing Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) to the ‘Mona Lisa of Afghan war’, a title given to an ‘Afghan Girl’ by National Geographic.
A 46-year-old Sharbat Bibi and two her sons namely Wali Khan and Rauf Khan were issued CNICs last year at the NADRA’s Hayatabad office.
However, the authority cancelled the CNICs issued to three Afghans because it was done in violation of rules and regulations. The NADRA also suspended its four officials including three males and a female stationed at its Hayatabad office.
An inquiry committee has also been formed to investigate the matter.
Sharbat Bibi has been residing in the Nasir Bagh camp near Peshawar established for Afghan refugees since 1984 when she along with her two sons moved to Pakistan’s northwestern city.
Sharbat Bibi became famous when renowned National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry captured her portrait at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in 1984.
Her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when Sharbat Bibi was approximately 12 years old. Her photo was likened with Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The magazine also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the ‘Mona Lisa of Afghan war’.
