PESHAWAR - A special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar on Friday awarded 15-day jail sentence and imposed fine of Rs 110,000 to the green-eyed Afghan woman, Sharbat Gula.

Gula is to be deported to Afghanistan after serving jail sentence, the court ordered. She is expected to be released on coming Monday.

Judge Farah Jamshed Khan awarded the sentence and imposed fine on Sharbat Gula as per various sections of the law after she was found guilty of living in Pakistan with fake identity documents. The judge maintained that charge was framed against Sharbat Gula to which she pleaded guilty and requested for minimum sentence.

Moreover, counsel for the Afghan woman also referred to the fact that she is a widow having four minor children and all of them dependent on her.

In addition Sharbat Gula has also been suffering from Hepatitis C. For this very reason, she was admitted to hospital and even she was brought to the court from the hospital.

The court observed it was an offense of heinous nature and that’s why Gula was convicted and sentenced. The court in its order said that the accused has deposited the entire fine amount in the court and thus on completion of her sentence, the convict shall be deported back to her country and ordered the government to make necessary arrangements in this regard.

An Afghan consulate official said that the fine imposed on Gula has already been paid and confirmed she would be released Monday. "We... will take her along with her kids to Afghanistan in an honourable way on Monday," Abdul Hameed Jalili, counselor for refugees at the Afghan consulate in Peshawar, told AFP.

Sharbat Gula, who had fled Afghanistan during Soviet occupation shot to fame after her photograph as a young refugee was published on the cover of National Geographic back in 1985 on her arrival to Peshawar.

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal said on social media that she will be welcomed back home by President Ashraf Ghani upon her arrival in Afghanistan.

“With utmost delight, I announce that Sharbat Gula is now free from the legal troubles. She soon will also be free from an uncertain life of a refugee, as she will be on her way back to her own country as soon as next Monday where she still is a beloved image and a national icon,” Zakhilwal said.

“She will be met by President Ashraf Ghani upon her arrival to welcome her back home and help her with her resettlement,” he added. He thanked all for highlighting the issue. “I take this opportunity to thank all those who voiced their support and sympathy to the case of Sharbat Gula. This includes prominent as well as ordinary people within the government, civil society, Peshawar Court and FIA office, media and the public in large. You all played a significant role resulting in today’s good news,” the Afghan envoy said.