Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman today stressed the need for strategic, reform-oriented leadership to address complex national challenges and improve institutional effectiveness.

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the certificate distribution ceremony of the Capstone Course at the National Defence College (NDC).

Reflecting on past shortcomings in national leadership, he said, "Unfortunately, not all of our great leaders had the strategic acumen. In case of difficulty, they couldn't deliver, and that has caused huge [losses]."

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According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief highlighted the importance of dynamic, reform-minded leadership in nation-building, urging leaders to push for efficiency and inclusivity.

He praised the Capstone Course for its peer-to-peer learning approach.

He suggested expanding participation to include more officials from different ministries, saying this would improve collective understanding and policy outcomes.

General Waker also emphasised the importance of ensuring that recommendations from such platforms reach the government. "We have many think tanks, but I'm not sure their recommendations are being received by the government. We must find ways to make that happen," he said.

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Lt Gen Mohammad Shaheenul Haque, commandant of NDC, also spoke.

The Capstone Course is one of NDC's flagship programmes, aimed at building strategic awareness, critical thinking, interdisciplinary cooperation, and a shared understanding of national security and development challenges.