The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned senior officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the emigration department to explain why the CNIC and passport of the globally renowned “Chaiwala,” Arshad Khan, have been blocked. The court has set a hearing for April 17.
The order, issued by Justice Jawad Hassan of the LHC Rawalpindi bench, demands that the relevant authorities come prepared with complete records to clarify their actions.
During the initial hearing, Umer Ijaz Gilani, Khan’s counsel, painted a picture of the Chaiwala as the embodiment of the quintessential Pakistani dream. At just 17, Arshad Khan’s life changed forever when a photograph of him brewing tea went viral, catapulting him to global fame.
However, it appears that fame has its pitfalls. Gilani argued that the blockage of Khan’s CNIC and passport stems from a baseless rumor aired by a news channel, jeopardizing his career and business. “His entire future is now at stake,” Gilani lamented, emphasizing the impact of this bureaucratic blunder on Khan’s livelihood.
In a twist of legal drama, the law officer representing the respondents challenged the maintainability of the petition, claiming that Khan had failed to provide sufficient documentation proving his Pakistani nationality. This, they argued, justified the blockage of his identification documents.
But Gilani was quick to counter, asserting that Khan’s family has a long-standing history of citizenship in Pakistan. He argued that the demand for pre-1978 residency proof was not only unreasonable but also malicious, inflicting irreparable harm on Khan’s reputation and livelihood.
Citing various articles of the Constitution, Gilani emphasized that Khan’s fundamental rights to livelihood, dignity, and fair treatment were being violated. He contended that NADRA had acted without legal justification, in direct violation of the National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance, 2000.
