A building belonging to the Pakistani consulate in Washington that had been out of use for many years was finally auctionedoff on Thursday.

The building has been bought by Pakistan-born American businessman Abdul Hafeez Khan who made a bid worth $7.1 million. The sale of the building was made official after the approval of the federal cabinet in Pakistan.

A ceremony to mark the transfer of the property in Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington and included Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Congressman Gregory Meeks and former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Hafeez thanked the ambassador and the cabinet for accepting his bid and said it was a matter of pride for him as a Pakistani-origin citizen to own a building that had served the country’s community for decades.

The cabinet had approved the sale of the building in November last year after noting that the building had not been in use for over 20 years. Removal of the building’s dimplomatic status had also led to taxes piling up. The cost of the building’s upkeep was becoming a burden on Pakistan’s taxpayers, the cabinet had noted.

Ambassador Masood Khan expressed his satisfaction that the matter of the building had been resolved. He also calrified that no other buildings were being sold.