'Chaiwala' Arshad Khan belongs to Afghanistan, says NADRA

ISLAMABAD: Arshad Khan – the famous, blue-eyed chaiwala, who dominated the social media horizon last year – is an Afghan national and not native to Pakistan.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) sources told Geo News that Arshad Khan did not possess valid legal documents to cover his stay in Pakistan.

In an attempt to get Arshad Khan's version, Geo.tv reached out to his team and were directed to his social media page with the claim that NADRA was misreporting the facts.

Rightly so, Arshad's Facebook page did have pictures of him receiving his Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) at the NADRA Headquarters in Islamabad. 

Upon first inspection, it appeared that NADRA had in fact made a mistake. Here was Ashraf Khan receiving his CNIC from a NADRA official at the NADRA HQ on June 15, almost a month ago. 

Could NADRA have made a mistake and incorrectly tarnished the image of Pakistan's blue-eyed boy? 

Unfortunately for Arshad Khan's fangirls, NADRA has not erred, at least that is what they claim.  

After the discrepancy was noticed, Geo News' investigation team in Islamabad got to work. What it found out will break hearts across Pakistan and the world. 

After Arshad was discovered – courtesy of Jiah Ali’s photograph of him during a photo-walk – scores of modelling and film offers piled up for the chaiwala.

As per NADRA, after becoming a celebrity, Arshad applied for a Pakistani CNIC using fraudulent documents, which he received in June this year. He went a step further and applied for a Pakistani passport as well. 

It was during scrutiny of Arshad's documents at the passport office that red flags began to show. The passport office staff put his passport on hold. However, using his celebrity status, Arshad managed to put pressure and had his passport issued nonetheless. 

What the chaiwala didn't know was that he had caught the attention of NADRA's investigation unit. 

Sources told Geo News that Arshad and his family hail from Kandahar in Afghanistan and, in order to acquire Pakistani documents, portrayed themselves as members of the Moosakhel clan. 

According to NADRA sources, Arshad Khan portrayed himself to be the only child born from Baaz Khan's only marriage to Saran Bibi.

I am a Pakistani citizen: Arshad Khan

To get the full picture, Geo.tv reached out Arshad Khan, who denied being an Afghan national and claimed his father was born in Sargodha and that his family hailed from Mardan. 

Speaking exclusively to Geo.tv, Arshad claimed his father migrated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1984 and worked there for 13 years before returning to Pakistan. 

He maintained that he resides on the outskirts of Islamabad along with his family and was very much a Pakistani national. 

Interestingly, after repeated requests to furnish any proof of his claims, Arshad did not provide any documents to corroborate his story. 

Moments after Geo.tv first reached out to Arshad's camp, the pictures of him receiving his CNIC at the NADRA headquarters in Islamabad were deleted from his Facebook page. 

Arshad Khan's manager, Malik Faheem, claimed that he found the NADRA claim shocking. He made it clear that he did not know Arshad prior to the chaiwala becoming a celebrity. 

Malik further noted that before he entered into a relationship as Arshad's manager, he had sought his identification documents and that he had furnished his father's identity card. 

Geo.tv repeatedly asked Ashraf's manager to furnish copies of the documents he claimed to have seen; however, they were not shared till the filing of this report.

Who is Arshad Khan?

Arshad Khan is the son of Baaz Khan and Saran Bibi, both Afghan refugees holding Afghan Refugee cards according to NADRA. 

Saran Bibi is Baaz Khan's second wife, according to NADRA.

During a photo-walk in 2016, Jiah Ali captured a photograph of the Chaiwala which had female admirers swooning in Pakistan and soon across the world. 

After catapulting from the Chai stall to appearing on TV shows and being featured in news reports globally, Arshad even tried his hand at modelling and starred in Muskan Jay’s song "Beparwai"; the song, however, led to some distress for Khan back home.

“Before I was living a poor life, I was working as a labourer. I faced poverty. I spent my whole life in poverty. Now with the grace of Allah, I am honoured and have an opportunity to move forward,” Arshad had said earlier. 

It appears the man who once had the world swooning, is in the eyes of the law a criminal. 

Afghan envoy confirms Arshad Khan's nationality

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, confirmed on Twitter that Arshad Khan was indeed an Afghan national.

—Asif Bashir Chaudhry is a Senior Correspondent with Geo News in Islamabad; Ovais Jafar is a Multimedia Journalist currently serving as Editor Geo.tv (English).