Najm us Saqib<\/p>\n
A candidate of this year\u2019s CSS exam had several questions when she met me last week. She had just finished the written part of the exam and needed some tips about the viva voce. I was more interest\u00aded in addressing her \u2018unrelat\u00aded\u2019 questions and concerns. Naivety in her tone aside, trust me, I was pleased to see a young soul – eager to contrib\u00adute towards improving the over\u00adall situation. However, her intriguing questions made me a little sad as there wasn\u2019t much that I could offer to her in response. Almost all queries made by her were self-explanatory. I was being educated on our youth\u2019s mindset. Here is the gist of our Q&A session:
\nQ: I have worked so hard for the exam and to join the Foreign Service of Paki\u00adstan. I am confident to achieve my goal but tell me Sir, should I be working un\u00adder the new Foreign Minister who has apparently no knowledge of foreign af\u00adfairs at all? How would he lead us in facing the enormous challenges facing the country?
\nA: To begin with, as a junior officer, you will be working under the supervi\u00adsion of a grade-18 level officer. I don\u2019t think you would even interact with the Foreign Minister, at least in the next fif\u00adteen years. Who knows who the Minis\u00adter will be then. Secondly, the head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the For\u00adeign Secretary and not the Foreign Min\u00adister. In any case, you will soon come to know that Ministers and Secretaries have hardly any role to play in formulat\u00ading the foreign policy. For the moment, you should be focusing on clearing the exam successfully.
\nQ: If corruption has been accepted as a social norm and all those who were not involved in corrupt practices have been sidelined, how would a straight-thinking mind survive in the system? The choice is between the devil and the deep blue sea. You grow if you toe the line. But if you stay on course, you are quietly sidelined. What course of action would you suggest for us?
\nA: First, you need to decide whether you are joining the civil service or a re\u00adformist movement? You do in Rome as the Romans do. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a mat\u00adter of choice. In every bureaucratic set-up, they invariably need a few hands who could work hard and deliver. Be that person. Stay clean, work hard, and don\u2019t think it is your duty to change the world. Let them do what they want to. I must add that all of them are not corrupt. The majority believes in good practices. Yes, your path will be difficult but eventually your righteousness will justify everything. Trust me. Honesty is still the best policy.
\nQ: The recent elections have pro\u00adduced a government which itself admits it cannot deliver. The party that won the majority vote has been crucified in the corridors of technicalities. Would it not be difficult for a diplomat to justify such a bizarre predicament abroad?
\nA: Its how you look at it. To me, the recent elections have exposed the hid\u00adden fault lines. That is step number one in the right direction. The public awareness about the election process has increased. Many people including senior citizens have voted for the first time. I am confident that the rigmarole of form 45 and 47 will be addressed by all concerned next time. Don\u2019t get dis\u00adheartened. It\u2019s an evolutionary pro\u00adcess. As for your question, I don\u2019t think anyone abroad would be asking you to justify your political system. Similar\u00adly, you would not be enquiring from your American counterpart to explain their 20-year long stay in Afghanistan. Diplomacy is all about making new friends. And of course, you don\u2019t em\u00adbarrass your friends even if you know their weaknesses.
\nQ: Sir, can you name a democracy in the world whereby two brothers know before the elections that one of them would be the Prime Minister? Politics is increasingly becoming a family busi\u00adness. Don\u2019t we have other candidates for such important positions?
\nA: You don\u2019t try to change a system without having full and proper under\u00adstanding of it. You should be more con\u00adcerned about the right system of gover\u00adnance in Pakistan. You will be required to implement policies. Your input on policy making will be marginal. Tell me. Why do you think that democracy is the only way our country could run? Secondly, why should we be concerned about defending democracy and not our people? Try to focus on solutions rather than issues.
\nQ: The Public Administration paper that I attempted this year, tells the sto\u00adry. Statements like \u2018Public sector em\u00adployees should not use their positions to advance general political goals\u2019 or \u2018Public administration is not a politi\u00adcally neutral managerial setup, rather it is to be considered in terms of polit\u00adical choices\u2019 indicate the malicious en\u00advironment that we live in. Why would the examiner be making statements such as \u2018Politicians use civil servants to realize their political\/personal in\u00adterests which in turn encourages nep\u00adotism and favoritism\u2019?
\nA: I don\u2019t see any problem there. The examiner would wish you to start thinking of ways and means to address these hardcore issues. As a bureaucrat, you would be required to tackle such is\u00adsues for the welfare of the people. You will do justice to your job if you don\u2019t become a tool in the hands of politi\u00adcians. Always keep your resignation let\u00adter ready. That will help you stay on course. Meanwhile, focus on your own deeds. Self-accountability, you know\u2026!!
\nQ: I will be representing a country wherein the news of resumption of IMF\u2019s talks is celebrated as if taking loans to pay debt servicing is a great achievement. How many more decades would it take for us to get out of the IMF\u2019s clutches?
\nA: Stop thinking like a student lead\u00ader. Join journalism if you want to find answers to such catchy questions. In any case, IMF would not bother you in the Foreign Office. Doesn\u2019t concern you at all.
\nQ: And what is this talk of putting our own house in order? What does it mean? Why do we need foreigners to run our economy? Don\u2019t we have our own economists to suggest ways and means to put the country on track?
\nA: This is where I would like you to make a difference. Keep reflecting on how to persuade the stakeholders to do what they claim. Charity begins at home. Put your own thoughts in order first. Its Pakistan and not Denmark. So, where were we? Yes, we were talking about the viva voce\u2026!!!<\/p>\n
Courtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Najm us Saqib A candidate of this year\u2019s CSS exam had several questions when she met me last week. She had just finished the written part of the exam and needed some tips about the viva voce. I was more interest\u00aded in addressing her \u2018unrelat\u00aded\u2019 questions and concerns. Naivety in her tone aside, trust me, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[12978],"class_list":{"0":"post-394647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-najm-us-saqib"},"yoast_head":"\n