ISLAMABAD: The controversy surrounding the nationality of the blue eyed chaiwala who rose to overnight fame last year persisted on Wednesday took another turn after the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) claimed that Arshad Khan was, in fact, a Pakistani national.

Talking to Dawn, a Nadra official said the vigilance wing of the authority recently interviewed Arshad Khan as part of its post-CNIC issuance verification and said that apparently led to the confusion over his nationality.

He said the father of Mr Khan had first obtained a Pakistani identity card back in the 70s and various other family members were also holders of Pakistani CNICs. He said Mr Khan’s name used to be Zar Khan, which he changed as per the policy, and he possessed a valid child registration certificate issued to him by Nadra years ago.

He said his father Baaz Khan and mother Saran Khan also hold valid Pakistani CNICs. “Baaz Khan has three wives and over a dozen children and all of them are cleared,” he remarked. He said Mr Khan’s parents did not hold proof of residence (POR) cards issued to registered Afghan refugees.

The official said Nadra’s system automatically blocks the cards of those whose parents possess PORs and hence it was not possible to cheat the system.

Mr Khan visited Nadra headquarters three days prior to turning 18 in Ramazan, but was told to come again after a few days. “When he came again after a few days, he was entertained as per the standard operating procedures,” he asserted.

The Nadra official brushed aside the impression that Mr Khan had shown himself to be the son of Baaz Khan in order to get a CNIC. He said a blood relative is required to accompany the applicant for verification purposes under the new policy, and Mr Khan came to Nadra headquarters with his brother.

When contacted, Arshad Khan told Dawn he submitted all the evidence of his Pakistani nationality to Nadra today. He said his father Baaz Mohammad was born in Sargodha in 1958. He said after the death of his grandfather, his father moved to Lahore and then served in Saudi Arabia for some 13 years. He said there family was living in Golra, Islamabad, for almost three decades.

He said he has 13 siblings, three of whom hold valid CNICs and others are holders of CRCs. He said his brother Noor Mohammad applied for a CNIC along with him and another brother Dur Mohammad accompanied them for verification purposes.

According to a copy of Mr Khan’s CNIC issued to him on June 7, he was born on June 1, 1999. The copy of the existing CNIC issued to his father on Nov 13, 2008, is valid till Oct 31, 2018. He had previously been issued a manual identity card on April 10, 1984 in Lahore.

The handsome young chaiwala (tea seller) became an internet sensation after an amateur photojournalist took photos of him and shared them online

Mr Khan, who used to work at Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar on Peshawar Chowk became popular overnight, with queues of young girls coming to gush over his good looks. Within no time, countless people began visiting his shop just to take selfies with him and soon, a modelling agency also entered into a deal with him and shot a few commercials to make good use of the craze.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017