Not everyone who applies for Army gets selected. Same is the case with ISSB for joining Pakistan Army. A lot of people apply in Army every year; a lot of them get rejected by being not recommended in issb, while only a few lucky ones get selected.
The ones who get selected feel like the happiest people in the world, while the ones who get rejected mostly get a depression, which may last longer in some cases.
Once rejected, there are mostly two types of responses:
- The ones who feel more love and passion for Army and apply again, and if all tries availed already, they still keep loving and supporting Pakistan Army with greater passion
- The ones who turn against Army and start defaming and criticizing it at every forum (like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto did when he got in power, he was also rejected in ISSB when he was young)
Well the negative behavior is obviously unjustified. But lets look at the reasons why this occurs and what’s needed to be understood by that candidate who gets rejected in order to calm him down and be comfortable.
Army isn’t looking for the best, it’s looking for the Specific
Everyone has their own definition of best. Army has their own best and suitable type. If army selects you, it doesn’t mean that you’re the best, it simply means that you’re of that specific type that Army is looking for.
Similarly, if you’re refused during ISSB, it doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you, it simply means that you aren’t of the specific type that army is looking for.
What is Army looking for?
Well this is debatable, but in general, army looks for someone who is:
- Physically able
- Mentally stable
- Have a life
- Not dumb
- Not too sharp and not too much intelligent
- Someone who is easy to tame and isn’t notorious or rebellious (they don’t want someone to test new things in the system, crippling it)
- Not always looking for brilliant in studies (that’s why they set the limit of 60% for FA to join as an Officer), so that he’s comfortable during his service.
- Has a life! Not someone who is isolated and focused pin point and doesn’t enjoy life at all.
- Balanced and stable personality
- Aware of his surrounding and has good general knowledge
Plus there are many more. These are not at all the points from any official document; they are just general ideas and can be wrong at some point too (please correct me so that I can improve it).
So if you’re rejected from Army during the ISSB selection procedure, stay calm. It’s not that there’s some fault in you, it’s simply that you didn’t seem to be of that specific type that Army is looking for. God may have different and maybe better plans for you and something big awaits to be done through your hands outside military too, that’s why He got you not recommended in ISSB.
As they say “if all good men join military, the civil set up would cripple”.