FOOd JOInT a hOTSPOT fOR IndIa, Pak dIPLOmaTS
In Amritsar, there is a popular restaurant called Sarhad. Located less than two kilometres from the Attari-Wagah border, it is a hotspot for Indian and Pakistani diplomats travelling by road.
After a four-hour drive on the IslamabadLahore expressway to the border, diplomats take a break at Sarhad for a meal or snacks, before proceeding to Amritsar airport to catch the flight to New Delhi. Pakistan high commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood and his colleagues generally stop here for food. Similarly, Indian high commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria and his colleagues make a point to visit the restaurant. Aman Jaspal, the restaurant owner, says that “food always brings people together”.
“Sarhad’s motto is ‘Peace Thru Food’,” comments Aman’s father, Damanbir Singh Jaspal. ‘Sarhad’ offers a unique range of Lahori and Amritsari cuisine. The Lahori menu includes ‘Chapli Kebab, Nihari Ghost, Bannu Kebab and Miyan Ji ki Dal.’ According to Aman’s wife, Sameena, whose parents own the Little India chain of restaurants in New Zealand, Bisaria’s favourite is the big Lahori Thaal. There is a colourful painted minitruck parked outside Sarhad. It was painted by Pakistan’s truck artist Haider Ali.
In Pakistan, the truckers are fond of getting their vehicles painted in a stylish manner.
Having practised truck art for three decades, Ali has been making an impression across the globe as the CEO of his organisation, Phool Patti, which aims at promoting “truck art” around the world.