Lawyer and television personality Naeem Bokhari shares his secret to success

Naeem Bokhari is a renowned Pakistani lawyer and television personality. He was Chairman of Pakistan Television Corporation.

What is the secret of your fitness?

The secret probably lies; firstly, in my genes and secondly, in the schedule of my daily routine. I wake up at 5 in the morning every day, do exercise, meditation, have breakfast and then reach court around 9am. After dealing with the court cases by 12 noon, I spend time with colleagues and friends. By the evening, I’m at home to spend time with my family and then at 10pm I’m on my bed.

During your college days why did college girls avoid you?

When I was a college student, I did not have the face value that I currently have. I was comparatively skinny and had a moustache. I along with my friends would play cricket, and participate in debate competitions. We had different tastes while the girls of Government College would always prefer boys with long ponytails and nails. Perhaps in retrospect, if I analyse myself, I find myself as a man’s man. I always enjoyed the company of men.

Was it luck or chance that brought you to the media?

My father wanted me to become a lawyer whereas, I never saw myself as one! I remember, I wanted to join the army but the Pakistan Army recognised the real me so well (laughs) and as such I was left with no option but to study law, following my father’s demand. Once I completed my studies, I was unemployed for a long time period, and that’s where it all started!

You are not appearing on TV these days; what’s the mystery?

I’ve done TV for quite a long time and now I’m tired and bored of appearing on TV. The last programme that I did for TV was ‘Khabarnaak’. In my personal opinion, that programme got stuck because making fun is a part of Punjabi wedding culture which does not relate to our day-to-day lives. Merely limiting the segment to Punjabi weddings for one-hour eventually led to low TRP.

What is success?

Success! I believe Habib Jalib was a successful man. To me, Ashfaq Ahmad was a very successful man. People say making money identifies the success of a human, but in my opinion, it is just one among the many other factors contributing to the life of a human. I believe success is how comfortable you are in your skin. How much do you laugh? What do your family and children consider about you? It’s all about sound sleep at night.

How do you maintain peace in your personality?

It is an art. From every experience, one must learn a lesson and move forward. Let me tell you one thing, Charles Van Doren defined character as the combination of three elements: instinct, habit and emotion. A mixture of three elements is your character. So when it comes to dealing with emotions, one must struggle for self-control. Great men in history, practised the mastery of this art. There are very fine examples from the life of Maula Ali (a.s), who would delay making decisions whenever angry. So we, being the thinking animals, are supposed to behave wisely and in case of uncontrolled anger, just laugh it off.

Select one of your favourite personalities:

• Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto or Imran Khan?
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I have never seen a more charismatic person than him. I am a die-hard fan of his political wisdom. When his government was removed, I was among the students who led mass rallies against it. Though his policies of nationalisation of institutions had brought economic downfall to the country, his charisma never faded out.

• Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz Sharif

As a worker, apart from some dark patches, he is a go-getter.

• Moin Akhtar or Omer Sharif

Moin Akhtar had a variety and an intelligent mimic. He also had an outstanding knowledge of music.

• Farooq Sattar or Mustafa Kamal
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Definitely Mustafa Kamal. I feel sorry for Farooq Sattar. MQM has become history now.

• Anwar Maqsood or Mustansar Hussain Tarar

Anwar Maqsood has been blessed with a very original and god-gifted talent. He is a remarkable painter — unbelievably a great painter! He produces remarkable dialogues. He is a master of “Hazliyat”. However, his scripts lack the energy and pathos required for a play. But then his mastery over dialogues is unbeatable!

• Waheed Murad or Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was a very kind, sweet and overall gentle man. I had the privilege of meeting him several times. He carried loads of charm wherever he walked — a fine man indeed!

• Lata or Noor Jehan
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Lata any time. But I adore Noor Jehan a lot. She has been the woman of her own kind. I admire her for the fact that she lived a life on her own terms in a patriarchal society like Pakistan.

One good thing about:

• Nawaz Sharif

Had Mian Saheb been appointed as a PWD engineer, he would have developed a better mesh of roads across the country (laughs). I don’t mind what he did to the country at all because he is a businessman and his job is to make money — it is as simple as that. He has done it well.

• Benazir Bhutto

I always admired her courage, resilience and political insight. But I was traumatised to read the fact that she might not be as clean as her father in money matters. Otherwise, she was a skilful, brave and fearless woman. Once I went to interview her in London and when I asked her views about Pervez Musharraf’s rule and after listening to her answer, I told her that I was very fond of him to which she responded, “some men have really bad taste” (laughs). I think she was a very captivating woman. Marrying Zardari was a terrible choice she made but at the end of the day, we all make choices.

Any message to the youth of the country?

A: Well, I have a dream of witnessing them acquiring education and a diverse multi-dimensional skill-set simultaneously. I wish to see them content, obtaining employment and becoming breadwinners for their families. I envision the youth of the country to be self-reliant and self-sufficient.