KARACHI: As evening settles over Karachi, a white and green rickshaw-turned-food truck named Sombrero parks quietly on the city’s bustling Seaview beach. 

Soon, the aromas of spiced meat and soft corn tortillas begin emanating from the cart, suggesting a seasoned chef at work.

But the man behind the counter is a top police officer with bullet wounds and decades of service in Pakistan’s most volatile regions.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Usman Siddiqui has spent 23 years chasing kidnappers, leading raids on criminal hideouts and running anti-corruption and narcotics operations across Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Now, in a surprising second act, Siddiqui and his wife run a food cart, serving Mexican tacos, corn and flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, and condiments like salsa or sour cream.

“We made these tacos at home and they turned out to be really good,” Siddiqui told Arab News. “Friends encouraged us to set up at the Karachi Eat festival in 2022 and the response was immense.”

The idea eventually grew into Sombrero, first launched as a delivery service and then as a street food cart stationed in the Bukhari Commercial Area and at Seaview.

Each evening, Siddiqui and his wife, Hubna Usman, personally oversee its operation, ensuring everything from prep to quality control is handled with care.

“She takes the truck out at 6 or 630pm. It’s here [at Bukhari] till about 9-930pm and then it goes to Seaview McDonald’s until 1am,” Siddiqui explained.

FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FRYER

Born in Shikarpur, a historic city in Sindh, Siddiqui joined the police force in 2002 and has since held key positions, including Inspector General of Balochistan Prisons, Director General of Narcotics Control, and Director of Anti-Corruption. He has also served as Senior Superintendent of Police in seven districts, including two stints in Balochistan.

Much of his work has involved high-risk assignments, including the rescue of kidnapped children and operations against organized crime.

“The most satisfaction I get is when I rescue kidnapping victims, especially kids,” Siddiqui said. “Someone’s child is kidnapped. It’s a very tormenting situation for the entire family.”

He also survived a gunbattle in 2015 in which nine fellow officers were killed.

“I took a bullet in my arm,” he recalled quietly. “It was a very difficult encounter.”

Though few expect a police official to run a food cart, Siddiqui said cooking has always been his passion.

“I cook myself, even when I’m with my family at home,” he said. “There are certain things that I cook better than most of my staff, even if they’re trained professionals.”

AUTHENTICIY

Mexican cuisine, especially tacos, caught the couple’s interest after friends asked for a themed dinner.

“There was a lot of space for Mexican food,” Siddiqui said. “Nobody is doing it here, right? Nobody is doing it right.”

Indeed, tacos remain a novelty in Pakistan.

“Me and Usman both tried this recipe a hundred times to come closer to Mexican food,” said Hubna Usman, a former banker. “It was Usman who told me, ‘Yes, this is the final product.’ Because he’s a foodie, I listened to him.”

Their children were also involved in the early days of the business.

“Initially, it was all of us setting it up, me, my kids, and my wife. We used to drive the rickshaw ourselves. We used to wait on orders ourselves,” Siddiqui said.

Now the cart is run by trained staff but Siddiqui still joins at least once a week.

“Once a week, at least, we’ll come and assemble it ourselves or cook it ourselves”

Despite the late hours and his demanding day job as DIG of the Sindh police’s Rapid Response Force, Siddiqui insists the food cart is a labor of love.

“I can stay in the kitchen for two, three hours and cook without being distracted,” he said. “I like it when people enjoy my food and appreciate it.”

Customers agree.

“It’s actually really good because the flavors are really good. Especially the hot shell. It’s amazing,” said Zarian Turab, a regular at Sombrero. “Mexican food is difficult to find in Karachi. But they’re doing justice to it.”

Another customer, real estate professional Asad Ameen, said he had never tried Mexican food before discovering the cart.

“I often come here to Seaview for food and snacks, and I discovered Sombrero. I’ve tried their tacos and they’re absolutely delicious.”

Despite calls to “localize” the menu, Siddiqui remains firm on authenticity.

“This is about 80 to 90 percent authentic,” he said. “You will never see me making chicken tikka pizza tacos for you because that’s the local taste. It doesn’t work that way.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top actor Mahira Khan has spoken out against India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities and social media accounts, calling it a “political game” and emphasizing the role of artists in building cross-border connections.

India banned the social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities and influencers in early May, days before the two nuclear-armed countries took part in their worst military confrontation in decades, trading artillery fire, missile strikes and drone attacks for four days before the US brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 

New Delhi’s measures to ban Pakistan accounts came in response to India’s allegations that Islamabad was involved in an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 were killed. Pakistan denies involvement and has repeatedly called for an international probe.

When asked what she thought about India’s ban, Khan said she had “zero reaction” to it and still loved her fans in India.

“Fans are fans. People are people, they are the public. What does it [have to do] with politics?” the actress told Independent Urdu in an interview. 

“Anyway, it [politics] eventually connects obviously but this is a political game that ‘Okay, we will close this, we will ban this, we will do that.’ I don’t believe in that.”

Khan said she did not believe in banning art, wondering why artists were the first to bear the brunt of “political problems” between nations. 

“It is strange, isn’t it, that a war erupts or there is a political problem, then the first attack, why do we do it on artists? This is something to think about,” the actor asked. 

“Because artists are the people, and art is the thing that connects people. So the first thing is you ban this, that this [art] dies, love, that there is no love.”

Pakistan’s telecommunication authority responded with measures of its own on May 7, announcing it had blocked 16 YouTube channels and 32 websites from India for spreading “anti-Pakistan propaganda” and disseminating false information.

Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid actors from Pakistan and the recipient of several accolades, including seven Lux Style Awards and seven Hum Awards. She has also made a mark in international cinema, most notably in the Bollywood flick ‘Raees’ in which she stared alongside Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in 2017.

In addition to acting, Khan promotes social causes such as women’s rights and the refugee crisis and is vocal about issues such as child abuse and sexual harassment. Khan has been a national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2019.

While the ceasefire between India and Pakistan persists, tensions continue to simmer as New Delhi says it will continue to hold in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. The treaty guarantees water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.