An interview with Dr Zameer — II

Question INT: Dr. Zameer, do you have any competitors? Any enemies?

Answer Dr Zee: To be honest almost none. No competition at all. I have a single enemy, who is my twin brother, christened, slightly differently as Dr. Zameer - the good. His belief is good Zameer is divinity. Also he subscribes to some foolish concept of a quiet Zameer, can sleep in thunder. Silly fallacy.

Question INT: If there are no enemies, worth their salt, do you have any friends and who are they?

Answer Dr Zee: Sometimes even my best friends are unkind - they would say, you carless one, why are you here? And taunts like that. My friends abound in plenty. They pervade through all possible divisions. Shakespeare wrote in my recognition in Richard III, that Dr. Zameer hath a thousand several tongues, and every tongue brings in several tales, and every tale condemns me for a villain. Not entirely true. I am villain only to the honest, but to the dishonest an extremely dependable friend; actually, Shakespeare did not know me very well. Only occasionally he praised me with some good thoughts such as ‘A peace above all earthly dignities, A still and quiet Zameer’.

An interview with Dr Zameer—I

There was another friend, a bit crazy, called Martin Luther King (Jr.), he would extoll my virtues in the most non-virtuous crowd. “Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expediency asks the question. Is it politic? Vanity asks the question. Is it popular? But my dear friend Zameer asks the question: Is it right? To make things clear to you I love interacting with those who take a position that is safe, politic, popular, because I, Dr. Zameer tells one that which is right, as per my definition. Martin Luther King always confuses me with Zameer - the good, my dearest twin brother.

Question INT: Dr. Zameer, Sir, do you have a favorite pastime or hobby?

Answer Dr Zee: I am mostly sleeping. Rare and frequent social, economic and political upheavals awaken me from my otherwise deep slumber. Yeah, so yes, sleeping is my hobby and pastime. Most of my hosts prefer me to be in that mode— sleeping, although I am no Beauty!

Question INT: Do you follow any time-schedule? What are your working hours?

Answer Dr Zee: You must understand the nature of my work cannot be bound by any time constraints. Unfortunately, people believe that Zameer is a vessel of eternal vertices. No, I am not. It grows with our social life and a new social or political condition which means that me (Zameer) has to undergo a radical change. Again, what you may fail to understand is that my name sake with good as a suffix is a constant threat, lest he awakens- an active Zameer-the good is a major illness. He must be put to death, at the very first fall of the hammer at any bidding platform.

Question INT: Dr. Zameer who will succeed you upon your death? Have you nominated any person or is there any heir-apparent?

Answer Dr Zee: I have been given life till eternity. So permanent death does not approach. Only occasionally I die in the hearts of the die-hard honest. So there is no room to nominate a successor. My progenies who are identical to me are countless. I have no succession issue.

Question INT: Do you own any assets in Pakistan or even overseas?

Answer Dr Zee: My assets are all intangible. Those I get associated with, they have substantial tangible assets, a few in Pakistan to ward off FBR and mostly my Cohorts like the islands of the Caribbean, Bahamas, Cayman, BVI, etc. Have you been there? No. why not? Let me give you a free return ticket and be my guest there- You can choose to stay in a 5-star hotel or at any of the amazing chalets I have there, too. Don’t be shy you seem to be more friendly with Zameer - the good. Ignore him. Befriend me. You will be a happy man - at least that’s what you may think!

Question INT: Dr. Zameer, thank you for the gracious offer - let me think about? I will take the offer when you who claims to live inside me decides to go on a sleep mode. Now, finally since it is very difficult to hold you for are interview, my last question is what message would you like to give to my compatriots?

Answer Dr Zee: What message can I give to your people, who outsmart me! All I can say is that Zameer - the good my cousin is thoroughly well-bred and knows when to leave a company, when he is not heard. Beware of him, keep him in eternal banishment.

INT: Dr. Zameer it was a great learning experience. I hope, not to see you again, ever.—Concluded.

(Here, Nothing in this interview is co-incidental; everything and person has a resemblance to one and many)

(The interviewer is a freelance contributor)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022