Former premier Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the refurbished Pak Tea House at Tollinton Market in Lahore, the city often described as Pakistan's cultural capital.
Sharif spent some time in the cafe with a group of writers and intellectuals and had tea with them.
"The intelligentsia and writers are the assets of Pakistan and the importance of reopening the Pak Tea House is no less than launching the multi-billion Metro Bus Service project," he said, referring to a public transit system that was recently launched by the Punjab government.
Members of Lahore's literary circles were elated that their efforts over many years to reopen the Pak Tea House had finally borne the fruit.
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It took the City District Government of Lahore almost nine months to restore the cafe.
Lahore Conservation Society spokesman Ejaz Anwar said the project will help the government retain an important and sensitive community that has always been considered a great asset for any nation.
"Since the closure of the Pak Tea House and another coffee house in Tollinton Market, intellectuals had no place to get together and share their feelings. So it's good to see the restoration of this cafe. People from all walks of life can gather and share their ideas here," he said.
Saleema Hashmi, an acclaimed artist and writer and the daughter of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, recalled that the Pak Tea House was part of a movement that involved numerous writers and poets.
"Since it was a movement that involved poets and writers like Intizar Husain, Munoo Bhai and Shakir Ali, it must be reopened with the same verve," she said.
She said her father often visited another coffee house in Lahore but came to the Pak Tea House in his last days.
"It will help them build their capacity on different issues," she said.