As promised, here is my interview in detail...I may have missed one or two questions. I am sorry for that.
Second person on 10-05-2010
Interview Time: 29 minutes
Panel: 3 memebers - Chairman Justice (rtd) Rana Bhagwan Das Sb, Asif Shah sb, Saud Gohar sb
Asslam o Alaikum, sir (individually to all three of them)
CM: Please, take a seat
Me: Thank you, sir
CM: Your name is Sajid Khan
Me: It is Sajid Khan Lodhy
CM: Sajid Khan Lodhy?
Me: Yes, sir
CM: You passed CSS last year too but could not get allocation due to low merit.
Me: Yes, sir. That's right.
CM: How are you prepared this time? Are you better prepared this time?
Me: Yes, Sir. I believe I am.
CM: That's good...
CM: You are BA LLB?
Me: Yes, sir. I am.
CM: Why did you change your profession? You are a lawyer and you chose journalism as your profession. Why?
Me: It's a little complicated, sir.
CM: It’s OK. You can tell us in detail.
Me: My family did not support me for any other program. And, I wanted to join journalism as a profession.
CM: So, you had financial constraints.
Me: You can say it, sir.
CM: You are working in The Nation as a Sub-editor?
Me: No, sir. I worked there for almost 2 years. Then I switched the job.
CM: Did you write for the newspaper or were you just a sub-editor?
Me: Sir, my job was just a sub editor. But, I did write articles for the newspapers. Some of them were published.
CM: That's good.
CM: What are you doing nowadays?
Me: I am a Creative Writer for Blue Technologies, Lahore.
CM: You have written IMF Aid, BISP, War on Terror and Loadshedding as your short term and long term policies. Don't you think 18th Amendment, Balochistan Package, and NFC Award are more important than these policies?
Me: Sir, I did not say they are any less important but it’s just that to me they seem more important. (CM seemed adamant on claiming them to be more important)
CM: Have we been able to end loadshedding?
Me: No sir, we have not succeeded yet. But, the Govt's policies are surely finding positive results.
CM: How come they are doing so?
Me: For example, the recent steps taken after the national meeting conducted by the PM. We are surely witnessing shorter periods of loadshedding.
CM: What is the use of these steps? What kind of these steps are? Closing businesses at 8 pm, two weekly holidays, no AC's in offices? Are these useful?
Me: Yes, sir. They are useful. For the betterment of the nation and the state, if we have to sacrifice a little, it should not matter much.
CM: How can we end inflation?
Me: There are certain steps that we can take to handle inflation. By making better and stringent monetary policy, by controlling the interest rate, by controlling and monitoring loans both in public and private sector, by controlling prices of commodities and general savings on the consumption levels of daily commodities.
CM: Who controls prices? How can we make people save on consumption of commodities?
Me: Sir, the Govt can play its role in controlling the prices.
CM: But, the prices are controlled by the open market. It is the simple rule of demand and supply. The greater the demand, the greater the supply and so the prices would be down automatically.
CM: You mentioned the monetary policy, who makes it?
Me: Excuse me, sir? (I could not hear him correctly)
CM: You have just mentioned monetary policy. Who makes it?
Me: Sir, I think it is State Bank.
CM: You are not sure.
Me: I am sorry, sir, but I am not much of an economist.
CM: You guessed right but you must be sure. You are a journalist.
Me: Now I know that, sir. (smile all around)
CM: You mentioned that you favour more women quota for CSS? Why is it so?
Me: Sir, women are the 50% population of Pakistan. They are a valuable human resource. It would be highly useful if we bring them into mainstream by providing them more opportunities.
CM: But, it would hurt many male candidates. They are already competing against you in the open merit category. Would it not be an advantage given to them over the male students?
Me: It may seem so, sir, but it is better to use this workforce by giving them more opportunities rather than wasting them overall.
CM: A large number of candidates have said to abolish women quota. Have you not met anyone?
Me: I have just met a person with these views, sir. (good laughter all around)
CM: Now that the 18th amendment has been passed. You must have read about it.
Me: Yes, sir. (I thought I was going to be questioned about it
)
CM: Can the sitting Parliament increase its tenure by passing an amendment with 2/3 majority?
Me: No, sir. They cannot.
CM: Why not?
Me: Because it would be against democratic norms and constitution.
CM: But, they have the authority to make any amendment to the constitution.
Me: Yes, they have but this is something which they cannot do. Even if they do so, it would be applicable in the next term, not in the term they are sitting now.
CM: Are they competent to make such laws or not?
Me: Sir, the public elects them through elections. They are the true representatives of the public. I cannot say they are not competent.
CM: I mean do they have the authority to make such amendment?
Me: It seems so, sir.
CM: I am asking you this question because you have studied Constitutional Law and have opted it in the CSS, otherwise I would not be asking you this question.
Me: Yes, sir.
CM: (in self explanatory tone) They cannot do so because they have not been given mandate by the people. Their mandate is to serve the people for 5 years only.
CM: You have written in your weaknesses that you get jealous and that you are so straightforward that you sometimes hurt other person's feelings.
Me: Yes, sir.
CM: We understand being jealous but being so straightforward is not a good thing in an officer. You should mould yourself.
Me: Sir, I am straightforward but I do not hurt anybody intentionally. And, i tell the truth even if it is harsh sometimes.
CM: Yes, we know that. We appreciate that you were so courageous as to tell us your weakness. But you should not be so straightforward.
Me: That's why I have put it in my weaknesses, sir. (laughter all around) And, with my job experience, I am learning quickly how to handle it.
CM: I think tolerance and silence are the best solutions.
Me: With respect, sir, I agree with tolerance. It is a coveted quality of any officer but I do not agree with being silent. People can take advantage of us if we remain silent.
CM: Hmmmm. But, there are people who are not up to your mental aptitude and who don't want to listen to you. It is better to remain silent there.
Me: In this scenario, I agree.
CM: Has Bangladesh declared itself a secular state?
Me: Merely denying the use of religion as a base for politics does not mean that they are a secular state now.
CM: I mean have they officially announced it?
Me: No, sir.
CM: Apart from UK, is there any other country that has unwritten constitution?
Me: To my knowledge UK is the only country, sir.
CM: No, there are two more countries. New Zealand and Israel.
Me: OK, sir.
CM: Any lesson learnt from US History?
Me: Self-reliance is the key to success, sir.
CM: How can we bring self-reliance to our country?
Me: By formulating far reaching policies, by having a stable Govt, by having proper economy, by utilizing our natural and human resources, by providing education...
CM: Thank you.
Asif Shah sb:
AS: You have worked as sub-editor. Did you write as well?
Me: My job was purely as a sub-editor but I did write articles for my newspaper.
AS: Who supervises a sub-editor? I mean who checks your work?
Me: I was a sub-editor. Then there is a senior sub-editor, Desk Incharge, Newsroom Editor, and then the Editor in Chief.
AS: Do they all check every work you do?
Me: No, sir. I respond to my superior and he responds to his superior and likewise.
AS: Who is responsible if something goes wrong?
Me: Ideally, the superior would also be asked but in practice I am responsible for my work. If anything goes wrong from my end, I would be responsible.
AS: It is a very hectic job....
Me: Yes, sir. It is.
AS: What are the duties of a sub-editor?
Me: A sub-editor performs many duties. He handles the stories, pictures....
AS: Enumerate them?
Me: To edit, to make a story presentable, to make it suitable for the readers, to use proper language, to make the story error free, to make it more appropriate if it is inappropriate, if required certain aspect to be highlighted, if required certain aspect to be repressed, t take care that no anti-Pakistan ideology is promoted, to take care that newspaper policy is implemented, etc.
AS: Is journalism ideal in Pakistan?
Me: No, sir.
AS: What are the major problems?
Me: Yellow journalism, black mailing, sensationalism, untrained staff....(answer cut short)
AS: What are the qualities of an ideal journalist?
Me: An ideal journalist is the one who reports truthfully and objectively what he sees and perceives true and helps form an informed public opinion.
AS: Your current job is a Creative Writer. What is this?
Me: Sir, a Creative Writer is a writer who writes for commercial and promotional purposes.
AS: Explain it.
Me: For example, if there is a company who is launching a new air conditioner, they might need an advertising campaign. They would come to us and ask for certain type of a campaign for a certain market. Then, my company would devise, design and run a marketing and advertisement campaign for them. The content and ideas for these campaigns are created and written by me.
AS: How can we classify your company? Is it an advertising company?
Me: It is an advertising, online marketing and outsourcing company.
AS: You wrote IMF Aid as a good short term policy of the Govt? How come it is good?
Me: It is good in short term as it can help us revive our economy but it is a bad thing if we keep being dependent upon this aid.
AS: What is this program?
Me: It is an aid program that the Govt of Pakistan negotiated with the IMF to help revive its economy. Initially, it was of 7.6 b $ but then it was increased to 11.2 b $. Pakistan is yet to receive its fifth installment of 1.2 b $.
AS: What are the visible advantages of IMF Aid?
Me: It increases FDI, it increases our foreign reserves and it helps the economy to re-boot.
AS: What are the foreign reserves used for?
Me: They help us in imports and exports. They are also helpful in getting better credit rating for the country. They also give us leverage to get more loans. Moreover, they provide more credibility to the economy of the country.
AS: You wrote policy to end loadshedding as a good long term policy of the Govt. Is there any policy in place?
Me: Yes, sir. Apart from the latest austerity measures, the Govt is following many policies in this regard.
AS: Can you tell them?
Me: There are proposals for energy imports from neighboring countries. Large projects like the Thar Coal project and many dams have been identified. We can produce 20,000 MW from Thar Coal project for up to 40 years and the project can be completed in 10 years. The corridor for wind energy has also been identified up to 50,000 MW. The run of the water and dam-less energy production is also estimated around 20,000 MW.
AS: You have studied Biology in your FSc exams. What is Biology?
Me: It is the scientific study of life, sir.
AS: Human life or animal life?
Me: It deals with the life overall whether it is human, animal, or plant life.
AS: What is the advantage of Biology?
Me: It can help us understand the life better. It is useful in fighting various diseases....
AS: Isn't the medicine that gives us the cure for these diseases?
Me: Yes, sir. But medicine is also a mixture of Biology and Chemistry.
AS: Thank you.
Saud Gohar sb:
SG: You have written in your psychological tests that you want the power to serve the people. What do you mean by that?
Me: I mean I would use the power given to me to serve and help the people.
SG: What do you mean by that? Your preference is DMG. They are very powerful group already. What do you need? They get a house, car, authority and everything. So, what's it that you want.
Me: Sir, these are the perks and privileges of the job. They come with the job. I am not asking for them. I can serve people even without them as I am already doing in every capacity I can. For me, the service delivery is the main issue. I will deliver top quality service whether I am given any authority or not.
SG: The DMG has already a lot of powers.
Me: But I do not have any. That's why I have applied for this job, sir. (big laughter all around. CM looked up at me and Saud Gohar sb and laughed out loud)
SG: You have written Barack Obama as your favourite personality. Recently, he has brought some healthcare reforms. Do you know anything about them?
Me: Yes, sir.
SG: Tell me the main features.
Me: It was a bi-partisan legislation. It has given an umbrella cover to all the citizens of United States. It has brought down the cost of medicine. Large companies are now law bound to provide healthcare insurance to their employees. The tax ratio for the rich has been increased for this scheme.
SG: Why it is being criticized?
Me: The Republicans are criticizing it mainly. They have large businesses which are hit hard by this legislation and the major healthcare insurance companies will have to suffer losses in their earnings.
SG: Thank you.
I sat there until the Chairman also looked up and said me thank you as well.
I thanked them individually and came out of the room.