Justice Umair Majeed Malik issued notices to the Director General of Immigration and Passports and the federation through the Interior Secretary on a petition filed by Arshad Khan, popularly known as Arshad Chaiwala, seeking renewal of his passport.
Arshad Khan gained widespread recognition after a photograph of him working at a tea stall in Islamabad went viral on social media.
During the hearing, Barrister Umar Ijaz Gilani, representing the petitioner, told the court that his client was a well-known entrepreneur who had promoted Pakistani culture internationally.
The counsel said authorities had failed to renew Arshad’s passport despite nearly a year having passed since he applied for its renewal.
According to the petition, Arshad applied for passport renewal on Aug 20, 2025, but the document had not been issued despite repeated attempts to have the matter resolved.
The court was informed that Arshad’s identity card had been cleared by the NADRA Verification Board and his CNIC remained active.
Barrister Gilani argued that there was no justification for withholding the passport after the petitioner’s identity had been verified by the relevant authority.
He further submitted that Arshad had approached the Interior Secretary’s office several times for issuance of the renewed passport but received no positive response.
The counsel said the petitioner subsequently served a legal notice on the Interior Secretary, which also went unanswered.
He argued that the continued refusal to issue the passport was unlawful and violated the petitioner’s fundamental rights.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the relevant authorities to issue his renewed passport.
