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Pakistanis are furious over a Maryam Nawaz question in a civil service mock interview
New Delhi: A viral video of a civil service mock interview has brought Pakistanis together. It shows an interviewee being asked to address the Punjab CM as “Madam Maryam Nawaz”, prompting people to condemn the “visceral sycophancy” prevalent in the Pakistani bureaucracy.
Pakistan’s Federal Public Service Commission conducts the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam, an elite competitive test used to recruit top-tier civil servants into federal government positions. Around 18,139 candidates registered for the CSS examination in Pakistan in 2025, with 16,342 appearing for the CSS 2026 written test, according to local reports.
The video doing the rounds shows a man in suit asking the examinee if she knows who the CM of Punjab is. She answers in the affirmative and goes on to name Maryam Nawaz. He then rolls his eyes and asks, “Is she a class fellow of yours?” before telling the confused examinee, “Madam Maryam Nawaz.”
