Notices issued in Arshad Chaiwala’s petition seeking renewal of passport

On August 13th, 2026, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requested input from the Directorate General Immigration and Passports and the Government of Pakistan concerning a petition filed by Arshad Khan, widely known as 'Arshad Chaiwala'. Justice Umair Majeed Malik instructed the Director General Immigration and Passports and the Federation via the Interior Secretary to provide their feedback on the matter.

The petition was brought forth by Barrister Umar Ijaz Gilani, representing the petitioner, who argued that Arshad Khan, a celebrated entrepreneur renowned for promoting Pakistani culture internationally, had faced a substantial obstacle in the renewal of his passport. The counsel highlighted that Arshad had submitted his application for passport renewal on August 20, 2025, yet had not received the document despite persistent endeavors.

Gilani informed the court that the petitioner's identity card had been approved by NADRA's Verification Board and that his CNIC was presently active. He maintained that there was no valid reason for denying the petitioner the passport issuance, given that his identity had already been validated by the relevant authorities. The lawyer further stated that Arshad had repeatedly communicated with the Interior Secretary's office in pursuit of the renewed passport, without receiving a favorable response.

After serving a legal notice to the Interior Secretary, no reply was obtained. Gilani contended that the authorities' continued denial of the passport issuance constituted an unlawful violation of the petitioner's fundamental rights and requested the court to mandate the relevant authorities to issue Arshad Khan a renewed passport.