By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
Justice Umair Majeed Malik of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday, has issued notices to the Director General of Immigration and Passports and the Secretary of Interior over a petition challenging the non-renewal of passport for Arshad Khan, famously known as ‘Arshad Chaiwala.’ Arshad Khan is an internationally acclaimed Pakistani businessman and founder of ‘Cafe Chaiwala’.
During the hearing, Barrister Umar Ijaz Gillani appeared on behalf of the petitioner and submitted that Arshad Khan is a renowned entrepreneur who has promoted Pakistani culture internationally. He stated that NADRA’s verification board had cleared the petitioner’s national identity card, which is currently active.
Khan had applied for passport renewal on August 20, 2025, but even after a year, it has not been issued despite multiple approaches to the Ministry of Interior and a legal notice sent to the Interior Secretary. The petition requests the court to order the issuance of the renewed passport and declare the failure to issue it illegal and a violation of fundamental rights. Justice Umair Majeed Malik remarked that comments would be sought before proceeding further, subsequently issuing notices to the respondents.
Khan formally approached the IHC, submitting his petition under Article 199 of the 1973 Constitution nominating the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports and the Ministry of Interior. The writ petition contends that the administration’s unjustified withholding of his passport violates his fundamental rights and inflicts severe damage on his expanding international business and personal dignity.
Khan is a resident of Rawalpindi, and the son of Baaz Muhammad who faced a similar issue with his CNIC last year.
He said that he was a hardworking entrepreneur and was well recognized. Through his brand “Cafe Chaiwala Arshad Khan,” he introduced traditional Pakistani tea and culture abroad, particularly in the Gulf region, generating valuable foreign exchange for Pakistan monthly while enhancing the country’s soft image worldwide.
The petition highlights that the applicant previously faced severe administrative and mental harassment when NADRA blocked his Computerized National Identity Card based on an unknown and malicious allegation that he was not a Pakistani citizen, but an Afghan. This CNIC block had ly deprived him of basic civic rights, leaving him stateless in his own country. Affected by this arbitrary action, he filed Writ Petition No. 1234/2025 before the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench. During judicial proceedings, NADRA formed a high-level Verification Board that thoroughly examined the case, affirmed Khan’s Pakistani citizenship, cleared his record, and unblocked his CNIC.
Consequently, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench disposed of the writ petition through its final order on October 20, 2025. Since that judgment, Khan’s CNIC has remained fully restored, valid, and active across all NADRA records.
According to the petition, prior to the conclusion of the NADRA proceedings, Khan submitted an application for the renewal of his expired passport on August 23, 2025, at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports in Islamabad, where he was issued a computerized token and assured that his new passport would be issued upon completion of process. However, nearly a year has passed marked by continuous administrative negligence. Despite personal visits, meetings with high officials, and a formal legal notice sent through his lawyer, authorities have remained silent and failed to issue the document.
The petition raises the legal point that since the headquarters of both the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports and the Ministry of Interior are located within Islamabad, and the renewal token was acquired from the Islamabad office, the Islamabad High Court holds full territorial jurisdiction.
Khan maintains that with his citizenship dispute completely resolved by NADRA and the High Court, withholding his passport is arbitrary, unlawful, and malicious.
The non-issuance of the passport has effectively restricted his international travel, violating his fundamental right to freedom of movement under Article 15 of the Constitution. Furthermore, subjecting a citizen to a year-long delay without a decision breaches Article 14, which guarantees the protection of human dignity. Given his valid CNIC, clearance report, and judicial order, Khan asserts a legitimate expectation that the administration act fairly and issue his passport without further delay.