President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday the strength of a country depended on its economy, defence, human resources and management skills of its leadership, adding that any weakness in this respect might weaken the country.
Delivering his speech at the second convocation of the National Defence University (NDU), the president, who is also the chancellor, spoke about the role of governments for the progress and prosperity of their countries.
Addressing the graduates, including a large number from foreign countries, the president said the governments needed to ensure defence, welfare and security from internal and external threats.
The president said stability and progressive economic growth were vital to ensure the progress and development of a state. He said if the economy of a country was not stable or rising, it could not achieve its desired objectives of development and progress.
Every government must focus on the development of communication, intra-connectivity within the country and with the regional countries, and projects for water, energy, telecommunication, industry and agriculture, he added.
President Musharraf said due attention should be given to the welfare and well-being of the people through poverty alleviation, employment generation and enhancing the quality of human resources through health, education and skill development.
He added that it was ultimately the leadership of a country that had to manage its affairs. “Mismanagement and lack of potential of a leadership can lead to weakening of a country,” the president said.
He said democracy, human rights and freedom of the media must ensure that the governments took their respective countries forward. President Musharraf underlined that the country was passing through a tough phase and it could suffer due to unorganised steps and lack of leadership skills.
He recalled the days when he attended the National Defence College and said over the years, the institution had carved a place for itself in the national and international institutions. He said the presence of a large number of students from different countries was a testimony to this fact, adding that the venue provided an opportunity for interaction and understanding of different environments in which they lived.
The president hoped that the foreign students would also understand the environment of Pakistan and the compulsions under which it existed. He also conferred degrees of MSc in defence and strategic studies, and war studies and defence management and BS (Hons).
NDU President Lt-Gen Muhammad Hamid Khan said the mission of the institution was to prepare future leadership from the public and private sectors of Pakistan and other friendly countries through multidisciplinary educational and research programmes.
He said the focus was on security, defence and strategic studies. He added that the institution had run seven workshops on national security issues apart from its normal courses and a total of 405 participants had qualified. Chairman Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee General Tariq Majeed, foreign diplomats and senior civil and military officials attended the convocation.