A Pakistani court has refused bail to an Afghan woman famed for appearing on a National Geographic cover and who had been arrested for living in the country illegally.

The image of Sharbat Gula in a Pakistan refugee camp became emblematic of Afghanistan’s suffering during the 1980s, as the country was caught between Soviet occupation and a US-backed mujahideen insurgency against it.

Ms Gula, now in her 40s, has been held in jail since her arrest on Wednesday after the Federation Investigation Agency (FIA) accused her of possessing fake documents following a two-year investigation into her and her husband, who has now absconded.

The special court for anti-corruption and immigration in Peshawar denied Ms Gula bail on the grounds her application to be freed did not contain any legal arguments and emphasised only humanitarian reasons for her release.

“During her illegal stay in Pakistan, she twice misused her position by obtaining a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card,” said Judge Farah Jamshed.

Prior to the bail hearing there were indications she would be released and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said her case should be reviewed “because she is a woman and we should see it from a humanitarian angle.”

Mr Khan added: “As a first step the FIA should arrange her bail as soon as possible so that she should get of jail.”

But a judge in Peshawar rejected bail for Ms Gula, saying she had failed to make her case after “impersonating herself as Pakistani citizen without legally adopting the status of same."

If she is convicted of fraud Ms Gula faces up to 14 years in prison, although it is more common for refugees from Afghanistan to be deported rather than serve jail time.

Afghanistan's ambassador in Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, said the verdict contradicted government promises to release her and called on the Prime Minister to intervene.

"Despite being world famous, Sharbat Gula is a poor widow and the sole head of her family," Mr Zakhilwal said in a statement.

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Show all 16 1 /16 Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2001 Afghans at the Killi Faizo refugee camp desperately reach for bags of rice being handed out to the thousands who escaped the bombardment in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Chaman, Pakistan, December 4, 2001) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2002 Mahbooba stands against a bullet-ridden wall, waiting to be seen at a medical clinic. The seven-year-old girl suffers from leishmaniasis, a parasitical infection. (Kabul, March 1, 2002) All photos Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2003 A mother and her two children look out from their cave dwelling. Many families who, fleeing the Taliban, took refuge inside caves adjacent to Bamiyan’s destroyed ancient Buddha statues now have nowhere else to live. (Bamiyan, November 19, 2003) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Students recite prayers in a makeshift outdoor classroom in the Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China and separates Tajikistan from India and Pakistan. (Northeastern Afghanistan, September 2, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Bodybuilders in the 55-60 kg category square off during a regional bodybuilding competition. Many Afghan men, like others around the world, feel that a macho image of physical strength is important. (Kabul, August 6, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2008 A woman in a white burqa enjoys an afternoon with her family feeding the white pigeons at the Blue Mosque. (Mazar-e-Sharif, March 8, 2008) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Addicts inject heroin while trying to keep warm inside the abandoned Russian Cultural Center, which the capital city’s addicts use as a common gathering point. Heroin is readily available, costing about one dollar a hit. (Kabul, February 9, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 An elderly man holds his granddaughter in their tent at a refugee camp after they were forced to flee their village, which US and NATO forces had bombed because, they claimed, it was a Taliban hideout. (Surobi, Nangarhar Province, February 7, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Seven-year-old Attiullah, a patient at Mirwais Hospital, stands alongside an X ray showing the bullet that entered his back, nearly killing him. Attiullah was shot by US forces when he was caught in a crossfire as he was herding sheep. (Kandahar, October 13, 2009). Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 US Army Sargeant Jay Kenney (right), with Task Force Destiny, helps wounded Afghan National Army soldiers exit a Blackhawk helicopter after they have been rescued in an air mission. (Kandahar, December 12, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 An Afghan National Army battalion marches back to barracks at the Kabul Military Training Center. (Kabul, October 4, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Eid Muhammad, seventy, lives in a house with a view overlooking the hills of Kabul. He and millions of other Afghans occupy land and housing without possessing formal deeds to them. (Kabul, November 21, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Razima holds her two-year-old son, Malik, while waiting for medical attention at the Boost Hospital emergency room. (Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, June 23, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Young women cheer as they attend a rally for the Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani. (Kabul, April 1, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Burqa-clad women wait to vote after a polling station runs out of ballots. (Kabul, April 5, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2015 Relatives, friends, and women’s rights activists grieve at the home of Farkhunda Malikzada, who was killed by a mob in the center of Kabul. Farkhunda was violently beaten and set on fire after a local cleric accused her of burning a Qur’an. (Kabul, March 22, 2015) Paula Bronstein

”I call on the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, to whom I will also send a formal request, to intervene.”

For decades Pakistan has provided safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled their country after the Soviet invasion of 1979, hosting up to 1.4 million Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world.

But the government has stepped up its crackdown on Afghan refugees, insisting that many attacks in the country had links with Afghanistan and therefore the refugees must now go home.