chai wala from Islamabad pakistan

This chai wala from Islamabad is the internet's latest crush

A discovery of Islamabad-based photographer Javeria Ali, this chaiwala — spotted at a tea stall in Islamabad's Sunday Bazaar — has girls ready for rishtas and talent management firms on the look-out for their next big star.

"I didn't expect [such a fuss] at all," shares the photographer Javeria. "It's very surprising."

"I took the picture during a photowalk at [Islamabad's] Itwar Bazaar and put it up as a regular post on Instagram and it didn't go viral until four or five days later," she tells us.

Javeria, whose photography business goes by the name of Jiah's Photography, says that some enterprising person realised the potential of the photograph before she did.

"Someone stole the picture from my Instagram since it had no watermark. This person claimed it to be hers. Later, a girl on Twitter (@albatrouz_)posted it and it started trending. Afterwards, Facebook page Sheikhspere posted the tweet on their page. I found out then that it went viral.

"People started tagging me and my Facebook blew up. Then I had to run after all the pages to [have them] give [me] credit and tell them it was my image.

"And then [popular Indian Instagram account] India Pictures shared the photo and my insta went viral. Since yesterday, my phone and Facebook has been buzzing.

"Thanks to the girl who claimed it to be hers, [laughs] and the twitter account @albatrouz_."

While Javeria knows little about the chaiwala, Twitter is having a field day with her important discovery.