Restoration: Pak Tea House facade to be taken back in time

Special discount cards, membership plans and activities planned.

LAHORE:

“We will take you to the Pak Tea House of the good old times…this place used to be cherished by the literati. We plan to restore it so as to provide people the feel and environment of its glorious days,” Walled City Authority of Lahore Director General Kamran Lashari told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

The WCLA plans to give Pak Tea House a complete makeover - from the furniture to the walls. It also plans activities like mushairas, commemoration ceremonies for writers and poets, book launches and literary sittings this month.

The famed Pak Tea House was established in 1940 as India Tea House. It soon became known as the home of artists, thinkers and writers including Munir Niazi, Nasir Kazmi, Mukhtar Siddiqui, Yusaf Zafar, Saadat Hassan Manto, Mira Ji, Ibne Insha, Siraj Munir, Patras Bukhari, A Hameed, Ashfaq Ahmed and FE Chaudhry. It was leased to Sirajuddin after partition. His son, Zahid Hussain, shut down the tea house in 2000 and converted it into a tyre shop. The building was later sublet to Bashir Sons for use as a warehouse.



The Pak Tea House was re-launched in March 2013 and has been managed by the city government. While some events have been arranged to attract the literati, the cafe did not do much business. Its management was handed over to the WCLA on October 7, 2013.

The WCLA has decided to target the youth. They have announced special discount cards, membership plans and activities for the youth, writers and poets. Pak Tea House will also publish a quarterly magazine.

WCLA Marketing and Tourism Director Asif Zaheer said, “We are planning to bring in vintage furniture, repaint the walls and add vintage paintings and photographs. A book gallery will also be set up.” He said they would re-do the menu and sell food at reasonable prices. “We want to attract young people and want this place to be a comfort zone for all,” he said.

Media and Marketing Deputy Director Tania Qureshi said, “The WCLA is planning to hold many literary activities at Pak Tea House. This time, we are planning to turn it into a place of learning for the youth and in particular those wanting a writing career.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.