As I entered the room, I said Asalamualaikum. The General asked me to sit down, and I thanked him and sat down.

General: Tell us about your self.
Me: I am Omar Khan. I have done Masters in Philosophy and presently I am teaching the courses of Philosophy at post graduate level at the University.
General: Tell us more. What sort of a person you are.
Me: ( To be honest I was mentally not prepared for this question somehow) Well…I am a sort of person who is rather a bit shy, and I take more pleasure into intellectual pursuits such as reading and writing.
General: You have mentioned in your hobbies that you love Lawn Tennis. Is it just that you love watching Tennis on TV, or you play it too?
Me: No sir, I do play Tennis.
General: Okay. What do you know about CARs?
Me: CARs stand for central Asian Republics that came into being after the USSR collapsed at the end of Soviet-Afghan war in early 1990’s.
General: What is the importance of CARs ?
Me: Well…CARs are of immense importance you see. First, these are energy rich states, having rich deposits of oil and gas, especially in the Caspian region. Secondly, currently if we look at American involvement in Afghanistan, that is not merely to settle score with Taliban and Al-Qaida but also to check the Russian influence in the CARs by establishing American basis in the area. And ofcourse Caspian oil too is one of the reasons that holds American interest in the area.
General: You mean Americans have come all the way from across the atlantic to get the Central Asian oil? Oh C’mon, they have enough oil of their own.
Me: True. They have their own oil, but American interests are global and not just local. Their own oil cannot support them in their global pursuits. They need more oil to meet their requirements. Secondly, as I said their motive here is more than energy resources, and that is to check the Russian influence in the area and to stop it trickling into west. I believe that the great game that started between Russians and Great Britain in the 19th century is not yet over. Its just that the actors have slightly changed and Britain is replaced by US now.
General: You said that US needs to keep Russian influence in check so that their influence doesn’t trickle into west. How can you say that? Look at Europe and look at Central Asia. They have no connection with each other. (The General mocked me and laughed)
Me: Well, sir…Russians in order to influence Europe must have influence here too…after all Europe is separated from Central Asia only by black sea.
General: What is the importance of Central Asia for our region.
Me: We have had a long history together. Our region has had trade with Central Asia from times immemorial....We have had trade with Samarkand and Bukhara via silk route for centuries in ancient times….
General: (Cutting me) But from central Asia all that we have received were invaders who came to our region and played havoc.
Me: Yes, and with invaders always come trade sir. (Smiled) And presently the importance of central Asia for Pakistan is more or less the same as it has for US…those are energy rich countries, and we should enjoy friendly ties with them for our own interests…Besides Indians are going ahead of us and have already good relations with them…
General: (Seemingly annoyed) Must our policies always be Indian specific? Just because Indians are going to have good ties with CARs so Pakistan should also do that…it doesn’t make sense..
Me: (Sticking to my point) Surely Pakistan wont be isolated if it has no great relations with CARs, but to have good relations with them is certainly worth while rather than not. It is better to have as many good friends around as we can, being neighbours of Indian with which we have enmity.
General: Where does Pakistan import its oil from?
Me: OPAC.
General: OPAC includes Argentina too. Does it mean we import oil from Argentina. What countries do we import our oil from?
Me: We import it from Saudi Arabia for instance, which is also a member of OPAC.
General: And..?
Me: (I knew the answer so well and yet my mind suddenly went blank) America. (Making a stupid blunder)
General: (Laughs) So we import our oil from America? That sounds expensive, keeping the distance in view.
Me: I,m sorry sir.
General: Ok. Tell me, do you think we have any real provincial disharmony issue in Pakistan?
Me: I believe the issue of provincial disharmony is absolutely genuine.
General: well…go on.
Me: There surely are grievances of smaller provinces against the center. Take for instance the kalabagh Dam issue....For decades it has been one of the factors responsible for provincial disharmony and the mistrust of smaller provinces against the Center and Punjab. Although Kalabagh Dam is more of a technical issue, and we do need its construction too, and I am all for it otherwise, but unfortunately the facts are that it has become a political issue. And I would recommend that it should be either abandoned keeping in view the trust of people of smaller provinces at stake, or else an atmosphere of dialogue and awareness should be put into work about the real nature of this issue.
General: What are you talking about? Don’t you know that Kalabagh Dam is now a dead issue already.
Me: (Smilingly and tit for tat) But only for the time being sir !
General: Forget about Kalabagh Dam. The new government has abandoned the plans for its building. What do we do right now about the energy crisis. Even if kalabagh Dam plan is put into action now, it will take years to complete. But we are in the midst of worst energy crisis already. What do we do right now?
Me: We should immediately start building new smaller dams. And concentrate upon alternate measures to tackle the current problem as well as we can…(The General didn’t seem very pleased and cut me short..)
General: What other factors do you think are responsible for provincial disharmonoy?
Me: Take for instance the renaming of NWFP. The people of NWFP need their identity, which Punjab denies…
General: Oh C’mon. Punjab has nothing to do with it.
Me: Sir the general perception is that since the center has greater concentration of Punjabis in the assemblies etc. therefore the general perception of misperception if you please has to be rather anti Punjab. For example, if we look at Muslim League(N). It has even recently opposed the renaming of NWFP….(General cuts me short again)
General: But that’s not just a Punjabi nationalist party. It has supported across the nation
Me: True. But sir, the party is dominated by leaders from Punjab after all.
General: Well…renaming of province is a provincial matter. What else?
Me: (Thought for a few seconds) NFC is another factor…
General: Fine. NFC award is another factor. Fine. What else?
Me: Look at Balochistan issue. It has remained the most neglected province. I have traveled into the interior of Balochistan and have hardly seen a metal road, or schools, or hospitals. Secondly they have taken up arms now against state suppression and oppression which God forbid may lead to 1971 situation if not dealt with in a wiser and timely manner.
General: But there is no war in Balochistan. Our Army is not fighting over there.
Me: There is a silent insurgency going on. And there certainly is Army and Paramilitary forces using force against baloch. (I also talked about provincial autonomy issue in brief)
General: Thank you Omar. (He asks the member sitting left to him to interview me)

Member1: India is seeking a permanent membership of UN security council. Do you think Pakistan should oppose it?
Me: Sir, in my view Pakistan should support it.
Member2: But India is our enemy. Would it be wise?
Me: I believe, Pakistan and India need to learn from history and start accepting each other. They need to build an atmosphere of confidence building. They should realize that they have a mutual benefit in peace and friendship between the two countries. They should put the Kashmir issue aside for a while and concentrate on trade with each other. After all China and Russia too have disputes. Like wise, china has also disputes with India. But they are focusing on closer ties in spite of the disputes. When time comes the Kashmir issue can be solved. Besides, India is a regional power, a fact that cannot be denied. And if we both show flexibility towards each other, and as I said Pakistan supports India on international forums, India would also reciprocates. We need to build a better future for this region, and cannot afford anymore enmities.
Member2: okay. Tell me something. Suppose if you are in discussion with a non-muslim regarding Islamic punishments. How would you defend them?
Me: (I smiled) Am I to defend them, or merely explain them.
Member2: Do as you please.
Me: Well, Islamic punishments can be defended by making the nature of Islamic laws clear. I would explain to him how hard it is to meet the criteria of evidences in Islamic law. This criteria is rarely met. Hence Islamic punishments, harsh as they may seem, are rarely implemented, therefore making the Islamic laws very balanced and just.
Member2: Okay, thankyou.

Member3: Well Omar, you have written in your form about yourself that you wanted to be an Egyptologist when you were younger. What does this word mean? Is there really such a word?
Me: (I kind of laughed for a second and then smilingly replied) Yes ofcourse. Egyptology is a branch of Archaeology that studies the ancient civilization of Egypt. That’s true, I was indeed very fond of Egyptian civilization, and still am. It was my dream at that time to become an Egyptologist.
Member2: What happened then.
Me: My parents didn’t allow me to become one, and besides I was only a child at that time.
Member2: Whats so interesting about ancient Egypt?
Me: Everything about ancient Egypt fascinates me. Their colourful mysterious culture, the pyramids, their mythology etc. Orient is after all full of colours.
Member2: You have written in your profile, that at times you do have disagreements with your father. What are those times?
Me: (Was absolutely unprepared, and I hardly do argue with my father if at all, I was wondering why I had written that. Probably I had just wrote it casually, not realizing this question will boomerang back at me) well…its very rare ofcourse when we have disagreements. For instance, take the Palestinian issue. My father believes that an armed struggle is the right way to achieve goals, as he likes Che Guevera a lot. But I always argue that armed struggles can never be the best way to achieve any goals. I believe that talks and diplomacy can be the only way which can secure a permanent peace and get any country his goals.
Member2: But we didn’t get our freedom through peaceful means.
Me: On the contrary sir. There was bloodshed in 1947, but that was not some armed struggle, but only riots. The fact is that we got our freedom by sheer force of reason and political awareness, which was awakened in subcontinental muslims by a great man called Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, and carried on by Allama Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Member2: Thankyou gentleman.

(I thanked the panel, said salam and left, the whole interview had taken more than 30 minutes. I think my interview was not very good because the general seemed displeased. Please do comment)

I forgot to mention that regarding provincial disharmony i also stressed on the need for bringing all provinces in the folds of Pakistani nationalism and to address any misperceptions and real grievances of the people.

salam!
first of all i congradulate you on your prformance in interveiw.i asked uncle of mine who is a dmg officer about interveiws,he said that its not your knowledge that matters but its your expression,confidence that make your way in interveiw of css.it means its your ability to stick to your belifes and ideas with out any confusion.any way thanks for the post and hope for the best.we all will pray for you that you reach civil services academy.
regards
Dr.syed taqi abass kazimi

I m just posting the questions of my interview:

Chairman. Introduction.

Chairman. Russia is an emerging economic and military power. How is that going to affect the world in general and Pakistan in particular?

Chairman. Do u know about Russia's Warm Water Policy?

Member 1. Can National Security Council be justified in our constitution?

Member 1. You have served in Sindh. There is a talk of "sense of deprivation" in Sindh. Is it perceived or real?

Chairman. Has leadership from Sindh done anything for the solution of problems that you have mentioned?

Member 1. You have suggested that the list of recommended books should be updated. What are your suggestion?

Member 1. Your fav personality is Mandela. Why do u like him?

Member 1. Can you compare him with Martin Luther King Jr?

He asked me a few questions regarding my department and why i intend to pursue career in the civil servive. Then It was the turn of member 2.


Member 2. What is Pak's no.1 problem?

Chairman. Is militancy and terrorism in Pakistan connected with present economic crisis in the country?

Chairman. What do u suggest for the eradication of militancy from FATA?

Chairman. Flight of capital has occured recently. Do u blame the present govt for it?

Member 2. How is the election of Obama as US president going to affect the world and Pakistan?

Member 2. What are the causes of inflation in Pakistan?

Member 2. How can we promote savings in the country?

Member 2. What is meant by the term CARS?

Member 2. Tell us about the energy crisis of Pakistan?

Chairman. Ok Waheed, you may go.

__________________
Waheed Anwar Abro
Customs & Excise
37th CTP

aoa, MHM
thanks for the answer. n i hope i wont have to appear for css again inshallah. wish u best of luck too.
incase i dont get through, 2010 will be the next stop.one more thing i wanted to know that ive heard csps can continue some part time work as well. if this is so are they allowed to get affiliated with another institution or company etc??

yar that's an in depth analysis yup i do agree with you but as far as matter of trapping is concerned i don't agree because i forgot to indite the last sentence by G.S he said me that realizing is a very good omen beta
and i was sentimental because it was the matter that makes me sentimental otherwise being a petroleum engineer i would have been getting more than a lakh of salary so yes i am sentimental for my country
now tell me how do you rate it altogether

one last thing here in my interview i have not posted the whole anwsers
so i carried my point regarding our relations with asean but could not get into indepth trade ties

brother lack of confidence was not that brought tears in my eyes it was from heart and i still say i can not control them but any ways i do think that i should have controlled them

well because of my busy schedule i can only pray 3 times brother please elucidate your point i could not get you

__________________
braveheart

AoA.

well as far as i know government servants are not allowed to work in another organization or institution. The principle is that a person in a profitable position ( where one is getting paid ) cannot be in another position of profit.
I think one can be involved in some kind of bussiness etc but cannot work as an employee in another institution.

Regards

__________________
M-M-M

On the topic of sect...
I am really confused about this as during my interview the panel directly asked me about my sect. What if a person is sunni, shia or wahabi??? Does it matter when they are assigning us marks for the interview??? Does ones sect has any bearing on him becoming a civil servant?

@ sahi

hi sahi! i believe ur interview was fairly gud and i sincerely wish u success.

@ dr. taqqi abbas

i want to ask dr. sahab that wut he meant when he responded to sahi`s interview saying that "let me say that by mentioning your prayers 3 times a day i smelt some thing.tell me seriously am i right or wrong?"

plz doc sahab and sahi throw sum lite on this. Wut dr sahab smelt....
smelt or not that is the question!!!



thankooo!!!

salam dear friends

I hope that all members will comment..... SPECIALLY THE SENIORS.....QUALIFIERS....AND CSP'S...Thanks


my interview.
my psychological intvw was abt 45 mints... very comprehensive nd detail one. i think thy asked me question abt each and very aspect of my life....
final intervw was for abt 40 mints.
like javairia i was alsso the 1st one early n the morning when time waznt changed the is on 29th occtober.
gen. asked me to introduce ur self an i introduced my self in detail for abt 2 or 3 mints .....then came some qustions regarding family from my introduction..

s i did LLB so gen asked me abt lawyers movement.... which i supported with argumentations in detail and uphold tht the main issue is the indepedence of judiciaary which is v imp for every state and especially for a federation.....i was very fine bt at last chairman asked me that do u think that judiciary is independet now? i got v cnfussed what to answer now.... bt from me come out YES judic is independent..... wht u ppl think abt this ansswer ?
then chairman asked me that u also a POET? i said yes....
ch; what is ur standerd of poetry
me; normal sir
ch;if i ask u to write a poem on this intrviw in 15 mints can u?
me;sir i write in pushtho
ch;we dont know pushto cn u write in urdu?
me;a bit difficult bt i will try.
cch;ok

ch; what are tha main disputes bw pak and india?
me. kashmir disput.siachen,sir creek
ch;what is sir creek.......and the discusssd it with me in detail for abt 6 or 7 mintss... thanx God i was good here.
then memebr asked me a term from conomiccss which i never heard so staightforwrdly i said sorry sir i dont know
then he asked me some pple r n favour and some are against IMF loan why? whtss ur point of view..... i already prepared for that and discusd it with detail nd finally said that ve need to take loan from imf.
then other member asked me that lyestrdy gen kiyane discussd abt GHQ... have u watcchd TV? i said no sir... member; ok then leave it/
mem; u ve written in psych that cchecck on invisilators..... have u seen any thing... y u wrote it?

me.. sir it will improve the standerd and yes there were two invisilators in our hall who were not fair favouring sme candidats.
mem; in objective or subjective?
me; sir mostly in objecctive.
memb; ccan u point out any one paper?
me; almost all papers hv one obj questn bt i everyday scince is v imp bcz of 50 marks objectve.....the he discussd abt exam hall conditions... candidtes sitting etc...
then he asked me abt indepndence of judiciary which i disscusd n detail again very good.
i mentiond in psych tests abt my love.... the chairman disccusd it and asked some questios i dnt want to hare here.
at the end chirman said ok thank u and best of luck for ur next love.... i dontt know why he said thiss and what does it mean....

thats all.
plz remark must.... how itt was on my part? good...bad...normal?
thanx
Islah G..

__________________
Life is a tale told by an idiot...

Aoa

Well the generally accepted fact is that the longer the psychological and viva the more are the chances that they think that one has some contradiction in his/her personality.
But I have heard that some interviews have been conducted for almost an hour, so your interview was long but not the lengthiest. You need not worry on that count.

Judiciary is obviously not independent at the moment.

I think rest of your interview was good nothing to worry about. You are a lawyer and you are expected to have sound knowledge of the lawyers movements and what does it stands for, so obviously you would've done well there.

Now we do not know what did you write about your love etc so I don't think anyone of us can comment on General sahib's last comment.

Over all I think it was a fine interview.

Best of luck

Regards

__________________
M-M-M