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Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
is an iconic tea house frequented by writers and poets, known for its association with progressive academics and left-leaning South Asian
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
. Traditionally frequented by country's notably artistic, cultural and literary personalities, it was founded by a Sikh family in 1940 and quickly acquired its current name after it was leased to one of the locals in Lahore after the
partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
in 1947. Intervention of Lahore High Court had led to the re-opening of the Tea House in 2013. Noted for being the birthplace of influential literary movement, the Progressive Writers' Association, the place is described as a hub of Lahore's intellectual life for many years.


History

The café was set up in 1940 as the "India Tea House" by Boota Singh, a Sikh family in Lahore. 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 this restaurant 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. Among the luminaries known to visit Pak Tea House, were: Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ibn-e-Insha, Ahmed Faraz, Saadat Hasan Manto, Josh Malihabadi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Amrita Pritam, Munshi Premchand, Majrooh Sultanpuri, M. D. Taseer, Krishan Chander, Ismat Chughtai,
Ahmad Rahi Ahmad Rahi (12 November 1923 – 2 September 2002) was a Punjabi people, Punjabi poet and writer from Pakistan. Early life He was born 12 November 1923 in Amritsar, British India. His real name was Ghulam Ahmad, a name given by his spiritual ...
, Muneer Niazi, Meeraji, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Habib Jalib, Kaifi Azmi, Kamal Ahmed Rizvi, Nasir Kazmi, Intezar Hussain, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Agha Shorish Kashmiri, Professor Sayyid Sajjad Rizvi, Muhammad Baqir, Farhad Ahmad Hotiana,. 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 Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
since its foundation in 1940. 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. It maintained a reputation as a forum for people of diverse backgrounds to voice their opinions in a non-judgmental atmosphere. In 1999, it was closed by its owner due to lack of business, a decision criticized by the intellectual community of Lahore. 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. On 8 March 2013, Pak Tea House located on Mall Road, near Neela Gumbad and Anarkali Bazaar, was reinaugurated by the Government of Punjab. In October 2013, the government handed over the Pak Tea House to the Walled City Lahore Authority. 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.


Reopening

In June 2012, the government of Punjab announced its intention to reopen the Pak Tea House, where it would support itself. On Friday 8 March 2013, Lahore's iconic Pak Tea House reopened after 13 years of closure. Among the attendees was the Pakistani writer Ata ul Haq Qasmi. Pak Tea House remains a special place for those who remember Lahore's lively literary and cultural past. Noted Pakistani writer Intezar Hussain is quoted by
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
as saying: "No other literary institution of the country including the Academy of Letters has credibility equal to the Pak Tea House".


See also

*
Liberalism and progressivism within Islam Liberalism, Liberal and Progressivism, progressive ideas within Islam is a range of interpretation of Islamic understanding and practice, ranging from centrist to left-wing perspectives. Some Muslims have created a considerable body of Progres ...
* Progressive Writers' Movement * Secularism in Pakistan


References


External links


Lahore tea house under threat
BBC News {{DEFAULTSORT:Pak Tea House Culture in Lahore Progressivism in Pakistan Tea houses Pakistani literary critics The Mall, Lahore Coffeehouses and cafés in Pakistan YMCA buildings Restaurants in Lahore