New Delhi: Arshad ‘Chaiwala’ Khan’s rise to fame has been meteoric, with the Islamabad entrepreneur even opening an outlet in London in 2023. And Pakistanis love him. But now Pakistan is asking him to leave the country, citing his Afghan roots.
Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports have blocked Khan’s computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport, citing a lack of evidence to prove his citizenship, Dawn reported.
But Khan has decided to fight the authorities to stay in the country he calls home. His case, now in the Lahore High Court, could have far-reaching implications not just for Khan, but for thousands of others born to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
From viral fame to modeling contracts, TV interviews, and his café chain, Khan’s popularity symbolised the Pakistani dream: A young man from humble beginnings transforming his life through sheer visibility and public affection. It all started when a photo of him pouring tea on the streets of Islamabad went viral in 2017. He was just 17. He became a global sensation almost overnight—the “Chaiwala’s” gaze captivated millions.
Khan’s case comes amid a broader crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Over the past four decades, nearly 4 million Afghans have sought refuge in the country. While Pakistan’s Citizenship Act of 1951 allows for citizenship by birth, legal scholars and human rights advocates argue that the law is increasingly ignored in practice.
“This is a test case. Arshad Khan is not just fighting for himself—he’s fighting for thousands of Afghans born in Pakistan who have known no other home,” Moniza Kakar, a prominent Pakistani human rights lawyer, told ThePrint.
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A future in limbo
In court filings, Khan’s legal team has argued that the blocking of his identity documents is not only unconstitutional but devastating to his career and livelihood.
Khan’s lawyer Umer Ijaz Gilani argued in the Lahore court that Khan is the face of the Pakistani dream and that these actions have jeopardised his future career and tarnished his reputation.
Gilani, based in Islamabad, told ThePrint that Khan has no active bank accounts or a working passport at this moment.
“Khan and his family are not Afghan muhajirs (refugees). They are Pakistani Pashtuns. Before going to court, we need to exhaust all administrative remedies. We did not intend to highlight this case, but bureaucratic red-tapism and inertia led to this moment. It reflects the state’s xenophobic behaviour too,” he said.
His manager and mentor, Kazim Hasan, told ThePrint that they found out that NADRA blocked Khan’s CNIC when he attempted to open bank accounts for his businesses. The agency has asked for documentation proving his family’s residence in Pakistan before 1978—a demand Khan’s family is struggling to meet.
Hasan also alleged that a personal vendetta may be at play. He claimed Khan once declined a show offer from a major news channel, which subsequently aired a report questioning his nationality. The report sparked rumors that ultimately led to the government’s actions.
“We didn’t even know until much later that his CNIC had been blocked. When we went to open bank accounts in 2022, that’s when the nightmare began,” Hasan said.
Born in Pakistan
Arshad Khan was born in Mardan, Pakistan, in 1999. According to Hasan, Khan’s mother is Pakistani, while his father is an ethnic Pashtun of Afghan descent. It was his grandfather who first came to Pakistan from Afghanistan for labour work. His legal team has submitted a birth certificate issued by the Government of Pakistan and maintains that Khan’s family has a documented history of citizenship.
Despite this, the state remains unconvinced. At a hearing Tuesday, the Assistant Attorney General argued that the petition lacked sufficient documentation to prove Khan’s citizenship. NADRA has so far stood by its decision, citing procedural requirements.
But Hasan argues that such requirements are not only impractical—especially for marginalised communities—but discriminatory.
“Even educated families struggle to produce documents from before 1978,” Hasan noted. “For labourers, it’s almost impossible.”
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Pakistan’s crackdown on Afghan refugees
Courts across the country—including the Sindh High Court, Islamabad High Court, and Lahore High Court—have previously ruled that blocking identity documents without due process is unlawful.
“The fact that the Lahore High Court accepted Arshad’s petition is significant. It means the court recognises the gravity of this issue,” said Kakar.
On 17 April, NADRA and immigration officials are expected to appear before the court with relevant records. In the meantime, the court has barred any coercive action against Khan and instructed NADRA to issue a legally sound interim decision within a month, Hasan said.
More than a face
Arshad Khan’s story is about more than just viral fame. In 2020, Khan launched the first Café Chaiwala in Islamabad. Since then, he has expanded the brand across Pakistan, with outlets in Murree and Lahore, and most recently, a branch in London’s Ilford Lane in July 2023.
Khan’s viral fame even caught the eye of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who shared a video in 2016 where Arshad joked about their resemblance. In 2019, Sid Mr Rapper released Chai, a song inspired by Arshad’s journey, featuring him as a chaiwala in Dubai. In November 2024, together with Hasan, Khan secured 1 crore Pakistani rupees (around Rs 30 lakh) in funding for his tea brand, Café Chaiwala & Co., on Shark Tank Pakistan.
“People said to me, ‘Remove ‘Chaiwala’ from your brand’. But I will never do that. This name gave me an identity. I will always cherish it,” Khan said in a 2024 interview.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)