ISI, IB confirm Arshad ‘chaiwala’ was not born in Pakistan

Renowned social media personality Arshad Khan, popularly known as "Chaiwala," is facing legal trouble after his Pakistani citizenship was revoked by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Arshad Khan rose to fame in 2016 after a photograph of him selling tea in Islamabad went viral on Instagram.

The action comes amid the government's ongoing repatriation drive of Afghan refugees, with Khan reportedly failing to provide proof of his birth in Pakistan.

The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench is currently hearing a petition filed by Khan challenging Nadra’s decision to cancel his citizenship.

Read: Nadra blocks Arshad Chaiwala’s CNIC, passport over Afghan refugees row

Khan maintains that he was born and raised in Pakistan. In response to his petition, the court issued notices to the Assistant Attorney General and Nadra. The authorities submitted their written responses to the court on Wednesday.

According to the investigation, Nadra sought assistance from Pakistan’s top intelligence agencies, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), to verify Khan’s citizenship claim.

The intelligence reports allegedly concluded that Arshad Khan was born and brought up in Afghanistan and therefore does not qualify for Pakistani nationality.

Moreover, the reports claim that he lacks any legal documentation to support his claim of Pakistani birth.

The official stance, as mentioned in the report, is that foreign nationals are not entitled to obtain a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) or enjoy the privileges of Pakistani citizenship.

Check: Afghan refugees born in Pakistan request nationality

Earlier, Khan was asked to submit proof of his birth, residence, and property ownership in Pakistan prior to 1978 but failed to provide substantial evidence.

Following the submission of the intelligence findings, Khan’s legal counsel requested copies of the reports and asked the court for additional time to prepare a response.

The court accepted the request and directed that final arguments be presented at the next hearing, scheduled for April 22.