A mock interview on Pakistan’s military officer selection exam went viral on social media after the interviewer asked a candidate a question featuring Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif.
Sarmad Muhammad Khan, a former Pakistani army officer who heads the ‘World Times Forces Academy’, asked the candidate, Ali Abbas, “Who is your favorite actress?” The candidate said Dur-e-Fishan Saleem, a Pakistani actress, followed by further questions on why he likes her.
A few minutes later, Mr. Khan asked Mr. Abbas, “Who is your favorite actress in Bollywood?” The candidate said, ‘Sir, Katrina Kaif.’
Mr. Khan gave the candidate a situation where “India is planning an attack on Pakistan, and Katrina Kaif has the information on how we (Pakistan) can stop them. She asked you to enter into some kind of relationship with her to obtain the information. .Do you want to do it?’ The candidate said, “Sir, of course I have to do it for the protection of the country.”
Mock Interview for Pakistan Civil Service 😭 pic.twitter.com/HxWdYp032W
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) August 31, 2024
To his answer, the interviewer said to the candidate, “The situation is similar, but you are in Afghanistan and a person named Gul Khan asked you to do the same to get the information. Do you want to do that now?” The candidate asked, “What kind of relationship?” Mr Khan warned the candidate, saying: “Is this your character?” Mr Khan then provided feedback to Mr Abbas, explaining the shortcomings in his answers.
At the end of the interview, the interviewer asked the follow-up question. The two clips are combined in the now viral video.
Several X and Instagram users commented on the video, mocking Mr Khan’s questions. Some users from Pakistan recalled their experiences giving the ISSB interview and talked about how it “feels relatable to them.”
The Inter-Services Selection Board (ISSB) is a personality assessment exam for the selection of commissioned officers in the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force, similar to the procedure in India, where candidates wishing to join the armed forces as officers undergo the Services Interview with the Selection Board (SSB) before entering the Military Training Academy.
The video has been viewed over 89,000 times on YouTube and the ‘World Times CSS Videos’ channel has over 3.3 lakh subscribers. The candidate, Ali Abbas, gave a mock interview for the 119 Long Course of the Pakistan Military Academy.