My interview was on 23rd of Jan. I was the first person to be interviewed. Time period was about 30 minutes with each interviewer interviewing me for 10 minutes.
I knocked, entered the room, approached the chair and greeted chairman sb(CS), he replied and with a very broad smile said ”ONCE AGAIN GENTLEMAN???”
I, with even broader smile “YES SIR, AND THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN…”
CS: What happened the last time???
ME: Sir I scored low in the interview…
CS: What was your score???
ME: 148 sir.
CS started to disagree that I had been given good marks and all but became understanding when I told him that he should look at my score in the context of 2006 CSS exam when average score was 170-180.
CS: OK Youngman!! Each day is a new day. I am hopeful that this time you are going to do great…(he actually used these words and I got apprehensive and became over-conscious).
ME: Of course sir, Insha Allah. (smiles exchanged…)
CS: Introduction?
ME: introduced my self but in the beginning there was a little fumbling.
Later I overcame and spoke for about 2 minutes.
CS: Poverty, Poverty alleviation???
ME: defined poverty, gave reasons for poverty, suggested measures for alleviation.
CS asked me about Islam’s solution to the problem of poverty (Zakat). I commented on it.
Then CS asked me about BISP and asked me to do some quick calculations on no. of poor families in Pakistan that will (if will) get benefit from it.
I told him that I didn’t approve this throwing away of money, instead, there should be job opportunities and small business loans given to the poors.
So we discussed poverty alleviation in detail.
CS: Why Pakistan is apprehensive of Indian designs in Afghanistan??
ME: Facts about Indian intervention, Indian leaders speaking more and more about “regional solutions to Afghan problems”, Pakistan’s openly broaching the topic of Indian designs against Pakistan w.r.t. Afghanistan during 3rd composite dialogues etc.
CS: What went wrong in Afghanistan(Taliban resurgence…)
ME: Spoke comprehensively about American blunders, Northern alliance’s cruelties, Warlords of Karzai govt., and sense of loss of Pakhtun people.
CS: My views regarding 123 agreement???
ME: Spoke about India’s dismal record of nuclear armament. Collapse of nuclear nonproliferation regime etc. SPOKE AGAINST IT…
NOW COMES THE TURN OF RIZVI SB(RS).
RS: What’s happening in FATA and NWFP (Taliban’s barbarity)
ME: Taliban want to impose their version of morality. Tribals are against them (e.g. formation of lashkars etc). We must support the peace-loving majority. State’s presence should be established.
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL (5 mins. almost ) THOUGH RS DIDN’T COUNTWE-QUESTIONED ME SEVERELY.
RS demanded some clarification about my previous answers to the questions which I gave(well he seemed satisfied to me…)
Only one question I couldn’t answer:
RS: Ever heard of “North –south talks” if you have any interst in political economy?
ME: Sorry sir, never heard of it.
He thanked me and I thanked him…
NOW CAME BOKHARI SB(BS).
BS mainly discussed with me what I had written in my psycho assessment. Good and Bad habits of my father. Explanation of a term “Alpha male” that I had used. And so on. He asked me about my previous experience and the previous two years of my life as how they were “trying & rewarding”.
I answered comprehensively, admitted my past follies and immaturities. He seemed particularly very understanding to my final remarks:”I turned 22 on 4th of March 2007, my interview for CSS2006 was on 9th of March, all I wanted was to get allocated to FSP and rest of the world could go and fly a kite as I didn’t give a damn about it. My approach was thoroughly immature. I wasn’t tactful at all etc. etc.”
He wished me luck,
Chairman sahib wished me luck and my interview was concluded.