Blue-eyed Pakistani tea seller taking the Internet by storm

[The Internet has fallen in love with an handsome 18-year-old tea seller from Pakistan. Photo: iah’s Photography/Facebook]

A photographer snapped a few simple photos and the life of a tea vendor in Pakistan changed forever.

Arshad Khan was simply doing his job, working in a tea stall in the Itwar Bazaar in Islamabad, reports Quartz India. A photographer named Jiah Ali happened to be strolling by and snapped a few pics of the tea vendor before posting them on social media. It wasn’t long before the images caught fire, spreading across Pakistan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

It’s not hard to see why 18-year-old Khan is getting so much attention. With thick dark hair, perfect skin and piercing blue eyes, it’s clear the man is gorgeous.

The photos went up on October 15th, and by the 17th #ChaiWala (tea seller) was the top trending hashtag on Twitter in Pakistan. Khan’s fame quickly spread to India, a meaningful event when you consider the current political tension between the two countries.

Many in the online community saw Khan’s popularity as a way of reaching out to individuals on the other side of the border. Facebook user Ratnabali Bhattacharjee wrote:

“This story has just pasted such a smile on my face since yesterday… I’m from India, and have got to have such a friendly banter with so many Pakistanis over the beautiful #Chaiwala on twitter.. much love from this side of the border to you :))”

With all the attention came questions about the identity of this handsome vendor. Photographer Jiah Ali returned to visit Khan and reported her findings on Facebook:

“He knows about his overnight fame and hes very happy about it! Arshad is from Mardan, hes 18 years old, his family has been living in Islamabad since 25 years, previously he was a fruit seller at the same sunday market but since 3 months he started working at the tea stall. He would love to accept modelling/acting offers.”

Those modelling offers came fast. According to The Hindu, Khan has signed with retail site Fitin.pk and the images from his first shoot are already online.

Here’s hoping this handsome teenager can keep his feet on the ground as his 15 minutes propel him from the marketplace to the runway.