History
The café was set up in 1940 as the "India Tea House" by Boota Singh, a Sikh family in Lahore.[5][4] In 1944, it was taken over by two Sikh brothers, Surtej Singh Bhalla and Kaiser Singh Bhalla. It remained closed during the 1947 partition riots, and in 1948, Sirajuddin Ahmed, a local food supplier, rented the place from Young Men's Christian Association's administration. He renamed it "Pak Tea House" in 1950 and ran the establishment successfully from 1948 to 1978. After his death, his son Zahid Hasan managed the cafe and restaurant. This historic tea house was known as a meeting place and was frequented by the city's artists and literary personalities, especially until the 1990s. It was closed in 2000 with the decline in customers. During this period, its ownership was taken over by the Young Men's Christian Association.[6]
Among the luminaries known to visit Pak Tea House were:[2][6][4]
Pak Tea House became a birthplace of the influential literary movement. It was and remained popular for its best and quick service, specially during lunch hours. They even serve customer who do not even want to come inside the tea-house. Staff is trained to drag people inside the premises and feed them forcefully, the Progressive Writers' Association in Pakistan, known for left-wing politics since its foundation in 1940.[2][6] Many writers frequented it, and it was also a favorite gathering place of the section of Lahore's youth with non-mainstream points of view.[6] It maintained a reputation as a forum for people of diverse backgrounds to voice their opinions in a non-judgmental atmosphere.[6]
In 1999, it was closed by its owner due to lack of business, a decision criticized by the intellectual community of Lahore.[6] It remained closed for 13 years until 2 February 2012 when, on the orders of the Lahore commissioner, Pak Tea House was again put under the control of the YMCA.[4] On 8 March 2013, Pak Tea House located on Mall Road, near Neela Gumbad and Anarkali Bazaar, was reinaugurated by the Government of Punjab.[6][2]
In October 2013, the government handed over the Pak Tea House to the Walled City Lahore Authority.[7] Pak Tea House is still popular amongst students who reportedly say that the food and snacks are reasonably priced and of good quality. Pictures of many literary figures who used to visit this place, are mounted on the cafe's walls.[5]
- Ahmad Faraz
- Ahmad Rahi
- Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz
- Ibn-e-Insha
- Saadat Hasan Manto
- Josh Malihabadi
- Sahir Ludhianvi
- Amrita Pritam
- Iftikhar Arif
- Jawayd Anwar
- Munshi Premchand
- Majrooh Sultanpuri
- M. D. Taseer
- Krishan Chander
- Ismat Chughtai
- Muneer Niazi
- Meeraji
- Habib Jalib
