How a mechanic’s son become CSS officer?
For Zohaib Qureshi, from Larkana District, Sindh Province, Pakistan, passing the CSS exam was not a bed of roses rather a difficult and painful journey.
At every step, he faced new difficulties and struggled more than ever. He came 260th on the merit list in the 2019 Central Superior Service examinations. After completing the training, which will begin in October, he will serve in the Land and Revenue Department. Zohaib Qureshi has told his story to journalist Zubair Khan. Listen to his story in his own words.
My father Abdul Latif Qureshi was a famous motor mechanic from Larkana. All the elders and officers of Larkana and its environs used to get their vehicles repaired by them. “Our house was on the top floor of our garage,” he says. As a child, I saw that my father and mother always said that we would teach the three of their children well and they would become senior officers.
That was in 2003. My father enrolled me and my elder brother Ahmar Qureshi in the famous private school Shams Public School in Larkana. I studied with the help of my mother till the sixth grade. She used to help me in homework.
Dad and Mom wanted us to do CSS for which they also assigned us English tuition. When I arrived in 6th and 7th class, I saw the students of Cadet College Larkana coming in special uniforms with great pomp. I also had a desire in my heart to study in Cadet College Larkana. Mentioning this desire to my parents, made them agree immediately.
My mother said, “Work hard, pass the exam and study wherever you want. We are very happy.” When the admission of the eighth class of Cadet College Larkana started, I took the exam and passed.
A strange thing happened when I went to submit the admission forms. The staff there asked my father if you know that this is Larkana Cadet College. You will be able to pay the son’s fee. My father said don’t worry, I can work hard and I will do everything for my son.
This is about 2005. At that time, my three-month fee was 24,000 rupees. My father was a good and great mechanic, but obviously he did not have such an income. But the source of this fee was automatically created in such a way that a few years ago my father had deposited one lakh rupees in the bank in the name of his children.
After some difficulty, we got that money and the profit on that would be one million now. Now when the bank deposit made a profit, my father used to pay my fees from it.
Everything seemed to be going well. When the elders came to my father to fix the cars, my father would eagerly mention that my three children were studying. He would especially mention that I was studying in a cadet college.
I did my FSC with honors from Larkana Cadet College in 2010. I was also given the award for best knowledge. But now my father’s health had begun to deteriorate. After FSC, I tried to become a commission officer twice. I reached ISB both times but could not be selected. I was very disappointed but my father, mother, sister and brother were my great helpers. I will never forget what father said if you are not elected, the world is not over. Let’s go ahead and read and become a CSS officer.
After that I took admission in Mehran University Hyderabad in Mechanical Engineering. Apparently my father was bearing all the expenses. My brother and I were studying. Meanwhile, in 2012, father’s health began to deteriorate. He was a chronic diabetic and did not take precautions.
I usually did not to come home from university. My father’s condition deteriorated. The elder brother was studying, when he saw father’s condition, he started coming and going in the garage himself. Despite father’s prohibition, my brother sacrificed for all of us and began to learn to work.
In 2012, father’s health began to deteriorate. On which he now lived at home while the brothers worked in the garage. People began to realize that my father was no longer in the garage. As a result, traffic was light at the time of year. That is, the work was reduced. On this occasion, my mother, who had a master’s degree in zoology, first started teaching tuition and then teaching in a school.
The work in garage was almost finished. When the brother rented the garage space to a hotel owner, he opened a garage in a remote area and started a new struggle. When I would come home and say that I would quit my studies and get a job, my father would look at me with longing eyes.
Meanwhile, father’s condition worsened and he was taken to Agha Khan Hospital in Karachi. He was sick in the hospital and I used to go to him for six hours during my exams or classes. My heart wanted to do the same as my brother.
On this occasion, father used to ask me if I had an exam or a class. I could not lie to father. If I told him that I have exams and classes then he would have told be to go home and study hard. He was treated at the Agha Khan Hospital and recovered, but he had heart problems. After the bypass, he was taken to Islamabad Al-Shifa Hospital and healed. During this time all the accumulated capital was exhausted.
My brother served father very well. But I could not do any of their services which I am very sorry for. Mom, Sister and Brother stood up to fulfill father’s wish. After father’s death, I was internally torn. All those scenes revolved around me like a dream. In which father, while working in the garage, tells his customers that his son has just gone to Cadet College and will become an officer in just a few years.
My father died in 2014. I graduated in engineering from Mehran University in 2015. Now the problem was how to do CSS. I didn’t know anything. Meanwhile, the brother was working in his new garage.
After graduating from the university, I got a job as a monitoring assistant in the Sindh Education Department. I took the exam and interview and was selected. It used to happen that I would get on a motorbike in the morning and come back in the evening. But when I would come home in the evening and I tried to prepare CSS.
During this time a lectureship came and I passed the exam, but it was temporary. Mom, Sister and Brother watched my routine for a few months. Then one day they asked me what my program was. I said I was working. I also try to prepare CSS with it.
She said, “No, brother, you can’t walk like that. Creating CSS is no joke. It requires dedication and hard work. But I was thinking a lot. Regarding the economic situation at home, how long could my sister and brother work? Which is why I didn’t want to quit the job. But then the brother said who will fulfill father’s wish? “I was forced to think about it.”
My salary was 35 thousand rupees. It was the year 2017. During this time I had accumulated about one and a half lakh rupees. I realized that what I was doing was not my future. But economic conditions were also in front of me.
With this, the insistence of my mother, sister and brother was increasing. I was in a strange conflict. On the one hand, the wishes of my late father, the wishes of my family, and on the other hand, the fears and beliefs, I did not know how to prepare CSS, what to read. Whenever I was free, I would go to the library in Larkana and read there. I also went to some people who had done CSS and asked them for help, but they got very little or no help.
One day when he came home from work, he said in a strange tone, “Brother, what is the point of doing this job?” Who will fulfill Baba’s wish? I felt that this CSS was not for me but for my late father, very loving mother and self-sacrificing sister and brother.
I got some information. A friend of mine was in Islamabad and was preparing for CSS. I talked to him and he explained and asked him to come to Islamabad and so that they will prepare together. Now the decision was made. I couldn’t sleep for two or three nights, I didn’t want to quit my job. Then one morning I woke up and told my mother, brother and sister that I was going to Islamabad to prepare for CSS. They encouraged me.I resigned from my job and went to Islamabad.
It was the year 2018. I used to live in a private hostel in Islamabad but obviously my total assets were one and a half lakh and for the city like Islamabad, it was a few. On this occasion, my friends came to my aid. They arranged accommodation in a government hostel.
This hostel was very low in terms of cost. Three thousand a month but there were many other problems such as food problem, had to go somewhere else to the toilet. I had to go somewhere else at two in the morning to fetch water, but a roof was available for the night.
I worked day and night to prepare the CSS. I improve my English, sit for learning English for hours and write articles, read the world’s newspapers and do whatever I could. Now there was another problem. My friends and relatives used to say strange things when they found out that I had resigned from the government service to do CSS. Talking in a way that would have hurt my heart, I took the CSS exam in the same environment and went back to Larkana.
But when the result came, I had left only one article. I was heartbroken. During this time, sister and brother were also married. My brother’s work was going well. When he found out that I had only one article left, he said, “No problem, try again. There is only one article left. You will definitely succeed in it next year.”
But now another problem had arisen that all the friends and relatives would call and if there was a meeting, they would blame me for resigning from the job, even though I had resigned, I was also responsible for it. My sister, brother, mother had no problem but people had problem.
It was a frustrating time for me. I used to think a lot and keep quiet and at the same time I was looking for a job but it seemed that the job was gone. On this occasion also some of my friends came to my aid. The advertisement of Sindh Public Service came and my friend filled the form, got me to sign it and sent it. Now it was 2019. I had a job. I passed the Sindh Public Service exam.
This time I told my mother, sister and brother that I wanted to go to Islamabad. They gave permission. I have decided that no matter what, I have to do CSS. But I did not tell this to my family. I would get up in the morning and go to the library, read and write. I had no sense of eating or drinking.
There was a craze that I had to do CSS. Not for myself but for those of who were proud of me. I don’t know how many days I spent in Islamabad and how I spent it. I just passed the exam and went back to Larkana.
In Larkana, the same things happened, the same taunts. I was looking for a job here and there. Meanwhile, the written examination of Sindh Public Service Commission was announced and I passed it. A few days later came the date of the interview.
There was an interview but he missed it. He knew that if he take the Sindh Public Service Commission exam, then he will be selected in one or the other department. News of the failure in interview reached all relatives and friends. Now, once again, he was taunted. These were the circumstances when I cried a lot in solitude and prayed to Allah that may Allah have mercy on my family if it is not on me.
It was October 2019. I found out that the result of the written test of CSS has come. Believe me, I could not even stand still. My friend called me and said that your name is in the list of successful candidates. He wanted me to confirm the roll number. I told him that I will tell him when I get home.
Then another friend called. He said the same. I came home and started looking for her roll number slip. During this time my brother came and asked what are you doing. I said nothing. He smiled. He didn’t say anything. After that my sister also came. She also asked. I said nothing. Shortly after, one of the family members brought a roll number slip. When I saw the result in the roll number slip, I had passed the written test. I couldn’t believe it. Brother and sister came forward and they were still smiling, as if they already knew. I ran to my mother and we all cried so much together I can’t tell but it was tears of joy.
Then I came to Islamabad. I gave many interviews to learn here, read English and did what I could. During this time many interview dates changed but the interview took place in May. I lived in a state of hope and despair, as well as looking for jobs. My sister, my brother and my mother used to encourage me. A few days ago, it was found out that the results of the interview have also come. Successful candidates will also be allotted departments. But I did not leave my room. My number was 260 and I was assigned to the Land and Revenue Department. My training was to start from October.
We all cried together again. These were also tears of joy and success. It was not my success, it was the success of my family. As Father’s Day was celebrated all over the world on Sunday, we continued to remember our father with full eyes. If he were here, we would tell them to see the dream you saw come true. It is true that if the work is done wholeheartedly and insanely, there may be some delay, but it definitely brings color.
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