‘Chaiwala’ Arshad Khan is Afghan national, Nadra tells LHC

RAWALPINDI: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday told the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench that Arshad Khan — the tea seller who shot to international fame as ‘Chaiwala’ — is an Afghan national.

The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by Khan against Nadra and immigration authorities for blocking his national identity card and passport last week.

In a report submitted to Justice Jawad Hassan, Nadra said Khan was born in Islamabad, but discrepancies exist in the records of his parents. According to Nadra’s findings, his father is listed as a resident of Sargodha, while his mother’s name also differs across documents.

The authority added that a show-cause notice was issued against Khan’s passport based on reports from two verification agencies. Khan’s lawyer requested the court to grant time until April 22 to respond to Nadra’s claims.

Khan, the blue-eyed social media celebrity, had approached the court to seek restoration of his CNIC and passport, which were suspended due to discrepancies in his citizenship records.