Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator) Executive Officer, KCFR
Good afternoon, esteemed guests, I am Sehrish Mustafa, Executive Officer, Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR). Leadership is an expression that is often not grasped in its full context. A true leader is visionary, practical, inspiring, and a team builder, among other key aspects. Today, we are gathered here for a dialogue with future leaders, aiming to bridge the generational gap, understand the next generation’s perspectives and inspire collaborative solutions. Our agenda includes insightful discussions featuring representatives of Generation Z, who will share their ideas about how they perceive the future ought to be handled. Thereafter, we have some experts who have established themselves in varying leadership positions to offer reflections and share their experiences.
This intergenerational exchange is designed to develop mutual understanding and address contemporary challenges through diverse viewpoints, possibly leading to shared solutions. Before we formally start, I would like to announce that we have a doctor available on the premises, if you have any medical emergency, you can tell the organizers. Secondly, in case of any other emergencies like earthquakes or fires, you have two exit doors. So, to commence our program, let us begin with a few verses from the Holy Quran. Please, rise for the national anthem of Pakistan
The Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) was established in 2003 and has been a leading think tank in Karachi dedicated to enhancing Pakistan’s global image by addressing gaps in foreign relations, nurturing investment and promoting cultural and economic diplomacy. This event is organized by the Pathfinder Group and the Providentia Books Foundation. Providentia Books Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting a passion for reading and learning among underprivileged children. The foundation connects book donors with individuals seeking educational materials, facilitating the donation and distribution process. Collaborating with Publishers and other nonprofit organizations, Providentia Books distributes books to schools in underserved communities, aiming to bridge the literacy gap and empower children through education. In a brief period, the foundation has collected 63,662 books and distributed 61,643 books across five cities of Pakistan.
And now, about the organizer and the host, Pathfinder Group. Pathfinder Group stands as Pakistan’s largest provider of Integrated Security Services, employing approximately 12,000 individuals across over 75 cities and towns nationwide. The group’s Security Services Division comprises the country’s two largest private security companies, Security and Management Services (SMS) Private Limited and Wackenhut Private Limited. Expanding beyond security, Pathfinder Group’s Financial Services Division includes Virtual Remittances Gateway (VRG) Private Limited and iPath Private Limited. With additional related companies currently under incorporation, Pathfinder Group demonstrates a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility through various initiatives. Please read the newsletter by your side so that you can get the full picture of the Group’s activities.
Without further ado, I would like to introduce the Co-chairman of the Pathfinder Group and patron-inchief of the KCFR, Ikram Sehgal. He is a distinguished figure in Pakistan’s Defense and Business sectors. Beyond his internationally recognized entrepreneurial achievements, Mr Sehgal is a prolific writer and commentator, contributing regularly to national and international publications. He also served on various esteemed platforms, including the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Counterterrorism and the East-West Institute. His unwavering commitment to national security and international relations continues to inspire many. Please welcome the Co-chairman of the Pathfinder Group, Mr Ikram Sehgal.
Ikram Sehgal Co-Chairman, Pathfinder Group
Bismillah- ir- Rehman-ir Rahim. Thank you, Sehrish and everyone for being here. I enjoy meeting many people, and I would like to first thank Mr Khalid Banuri for organizing this event on such short notice during Ramadan. I believe this is a great time to come together, not only to learn from each other but also to observe our fast today.
I feel very fortunate in many ways, especially to have one of the most important people in my life, my daughter-in-law, Kashmala, here with me. She is the mother of Amaani, and I am grateful that she could join us today. Embarking on a journey like this is not easy, but we must keep learning. One of the initiatives we are actively pursuing is the establishment of a virtual leadership academy. We plan to collaborate with multiple universities, professors, and various subject experts to bring this vision to life. When we look at the situation in Pakistan, I am proud of what our young people have achieved. I believe that no one can compete with Pakistani youth, provided they receive the right leadership.
Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, and it is our responsibility – those of us who have lived our lives – to give back and help address the issues we face today. These challenges stem from inefficient and corrupt leadership, which is not limited to any one government but has persisted over decades. The key to correction lies in dialogue with each other and learning from different experiences.
Yesterday, I attended another Iftar hosted by my company, where one of the top leaders was giving a lecture on leadership. I felt a strong sense of engagement in that setting, which inspired me to advocate for new ideas. I would like to draw your attention to the newsletter in front of you. This is the first newsletter published in Roman Urdu, designed for those who may be illiterate or struggle to read and write properly. We thought it would be effective to present information in a format similar to what TikTok does, so we are proud of this initiative. I want to thank Sehrish, my entire team, and all those who contributed to producing this wonderful publication. Without further ado, I have spoken enough. Insha’Allah, I hope you enjoy this session. I encourage you to take something meaningful back with you and, in return, provide us with your advice and suggestions. I had hoped to have my favourite person give a speech, but she practically refused, so I will conclude on that note. Thank you!
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you so much, sir. Now, let me introduce the visionary behind this significant dialogue, Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri. He is a distinguished professional with four decades of highly diverse public service experience. His expertise encompasses bilateral and multilateral state negotiations, policy analysis in areas such as nuclear and missile nonproliferation, missile defence, strategic export controls, chemical and biological control, space issues and international law. In addition to his policy work, he has contributed to academia through postgraduate teaching at four public sector universities. A common strand between Ikram Sehgal and Khalid Banuri is that they are aviators, thus, the commonality of their diverse interests is perhaps understandable. Please welcome Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri for the opening remarks.
Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri
Thank you, Sehrish, for a very generous introduction as always. I just want to look at the first takeaways that I have on what has happened thus far. I think of the Pathfinder Group, and as I always do, I will remind everyone that this notion of Pathfinder’s came out of the Second World War, where those people who would actually guide in various ways. The other thing that you see here is the slogan of the Pathfinder Group, “Empowering challenge into opportunity,” so the Pathfinder Challenge is this series of talks, and the objective is about putting it into opportunity. The story that we heard about these professions is a story of diversity, empowerment, of innovation. If this is not leadership, what is? That’s the thing that we should think about.
I just want to take a few minutes to randomly talk about a few things. Other than those little straight inscriptions, some of the stuff is directly taken from the internet. It might be familiar to some of you. It does not matter; what matters is what you will notice and what you will not notice. So let’s begin with something that we can actually look at in more than one way. “The Ball Game” is my favourite. Let’s just go through this and see what this Game is.
(Video: ‘The Monkey Business Illusion’ was played (available on YouTube). After the video, participants were asked to count how many times the players wearing white shirts passed the ball.)
I hear 14, 15, and 17. All right. Anything else that you guys noticed? A Gorilla came and passed. How many of you have seen that? One, just a few. Anything else? So, the number of blacks was different; let’s review. The correct answer is 16 passes. Did you stop the Gorilla? For people who haven’t seen or heard about a video like this before, about half missed the Gorilla. If you knew about the Gorilla, you probably saw it, but did you notice the curtain changing colour or the player on the black team leaving the game? Let’s rewind and watch it again. Here comes the Gorilla, and there goes a player, and the curtain is changing from red to gold. When you’re looking for the Gorilla, you often miss other unexpected events.
What does that have to do with leadership? Is there a leadership lesson in this? Focus and mindfulness are human traits, and as we go along, you will hear more about these from various people with varying experiences. So, I’m wondering what kind of traits both the teams will present to us here today, and those who are from other universities, maybe we can ask them as well. The Boomers (Gen Z) we’re focusing on were born from 1997 to 2012. This is the bracket, and how are they different? Are they different? Probably. Aren’t they ill-organized? Don’t they get bored very easily? I noticed that in the class every other day. Aren’t they restless? Absolutely. And can they do the job? That’s what we want to find out, that’s where we need to understand your generation, and that’s where the generations need a dialogue amongst us. Digital natives, fine, laptops may be obsolete technology for you, but that’s for me, too. But, how we take things forward is something that there’s a commonality in. You heard Ikram Sehgal talking about this learning can go beyond ages, and this can be both ways, both sides of learning can happen. Can we do something about it?
We are familiar with these kinds of words, pedagogy, andragogy, anagoge, and one of the things that he mentioned was through this dialogue, the higher aim, the spiritual side of it is the dialogue from within and of course, the other is about learning pedagogy is what you do in your, what you have done in your schools. You hear lectures, you get tested. Andragogy is something that continues to happen with people who are fine professionals. When they come and discuss or hear these things, they are looking at the next step, how to use new skills, new attributes, and new knowledge in their own ways.
So, some of those ideas are something that we want to think about. What we are wondering about is what truly works. So, this is our idea of focus. We acknowledge that these generations are different; they think differently. Boomers think differently; they are generally the decision-makers that we have. Millennials are mostly the trainers; some of you who are students have your trainers here. And now, since the 1st of January 2025, Gen Beta has been born.
We have to look, how are they going to be? How different are they? Their views exist. Do we know them? And can we use them to strengthen our collective efforts? These are the kinds of things that we want to talk about. So we thought that this is the best thing to have, to actually start with trying to understand how they (Gen Z) look at these traits. And when they tell us whatever they want to tell us, and the sky is the limit, then perhaps we will have other experts to comment on this. And say if this is what they want to do, and if they have any reactions to it. Of course, they will give that, but if this is what they want to do. What kind of training is needed now, so that they are ready and make fewer mistakes than our generation, so that’s the whole idea.
There’s a very interesting book, “Generation Why: How Boomers Can Lead and Learn from Millennials and Gen Z?” Professor Karl Moore himself is a Boomer, a Canadian Professor who wrote this book, which basically says this cut both ways and we can learn from them as well. But also, to bring out a caution about the information overload that exists in our world today. You have a lot of information on your hands. I love to tell the story in which I happened to mention to Gen Z, about a soft launch of a restaurant in Islamabad and within seconds, this person said it won’t work. I said this is a soft launch, it hasn’t been launched as yet, and how are you so decisive? And she says, Look, nobody’s talking about it. A soft launch has happened, and nobody’s talking about it. So it won’t work. These people with the best of intentions ran the restaurant for like a few weeks, and then they had to wrap it up because it didn’t work. Because the connectivity with the target audiences did not exist.
Some of these ideas focus on what we want to understand. When we experience information overload, how can our generations assist Gen Z? Perhaps we can help you filter out the unnecessary information swiftly, allowing you to concentrate on what truly matters. While this approach can be beneficial, it also has its drawbacks, which is why we want to understand how your experiences differ from ours. These are some of the questions we presented to the teams.
We have two teams today, Team QAU and Team Air University. What attributes are needed for your generation to be effective future leaders? 10 years from now, 20 years from now. As a visiting faculty member, I often ask my students to reflect on where they see themselves in ten years. Initially, many responded that a decade is too long and uncertain, with some uncertain about even two years ahead. However, I’ve noticed a shift in these responses lately. Despite the changes, some still view ten years as too distant to plan for. I believe setting targets and goals is essential, regardless of uncertainty.
I discussed a list of topics and skills we might want to explore. Team QAU and Team Air University, I’ll be looking for any ideas you have. Let’s see what we can accomplish together. This is what we have for today’s program. We have special remarks, a recorded message. Please pay attention to the kind of signals that you get out of that and see how you want to think about them later. Then we go to your presentations, we will have the reactions from three people, a young Millennial, a regular Millennial and a Boomer who will comment and also provide ideas about where and which way we are going to go, and then we will go in that direction. Once we have that, we’ll open the floor for intervention, and I’ll call on some young people and parents to share their thoughts. After that, we’ll enjoy a special keynote from someone who has helped people grow for years. I’m excited about what we’ll have today, so let’s get started! Thank you very much.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you, sir, for this extensive background and thoughtful perspectives, and you have set a meaningful tone for our discussions. Now, I request you to kindly join me in co-hosting the remaining proceedings.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to play the recorded message of our keynote speaker, Dr Moeed Yusuf. He is the Vice Chancellor of the Beacon House National University. He is a distinguished scholar, policymaker, and author. He is recognized as one of the leading scholars of his generation, he has significant contributions to the field of Political Science and International Relations through his academic and policy work. During his career, he has held many influential leadership roles, most notably serving as Pakistan’s youngest National Security Adviser to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Dr Yusuf is also the youngest Vice Chancellor of a university in Pakistan’s history. So let us hear together what he has to say about this specific audience.
Dr Moeed Yusuf Vice Chancellor, Beacon House National University
Assalamu Alaikum, my name is Moeed Yusuf. I am the Vice Chancellor of Beacon House National University. I thank the organizers for giving me this opportunity to speak to you briefly today. I will say a few things. I was guided that there are going to be Gen Z in the room, some senior experienced minds in the room, and the conversation is going to be on leadership. So, being at a university, dealing with 3000-plus students here at BNU every day I’ll say a few things to you. One, my disagreement starts from here when we talk about the skill set for the future. Skill sets have, unfortunately, been defined in Pakistan as vocational. So, vocational training has its place and it is very important in its place. We have a large youth population in Pakistan, and it’s not feasible to educate everyone at the tertiary level. Therefore, we need to focus on vocational training. However, when it comes to higher education, universities should not limit themselves to merely producing skilled workers. The main issue facing Pakistan today is that we are stuck at the lowest end of the value chain in every sector.
Take the textile industry, for example. We were manufacturing fabric 50 years ago, and we are still doing the same today. There is a lack of creativity and innovation. Look at where Bangladesh and Vietnam have progressed. We face similar challenges in the IT sector as well. While many countries are securing business in high-value areas, Pakistan is often relegated to low-end tasks, such as back-end support and basic coding. Unfortunately, our ambitions have diminished to the point where students and parents express satisfaction just because someone is earning dollars through freelancing. But I ask, where is the innovation? It’s important to recognize that two significant changes will occur in the next ten years. One is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is going to wipe out all simple mechanical tasks.
Humans will not be doing the same work that we train students and youth in linear mechanics. Secondly, the current trend of immigration in the world, on one hand, youngsters want to leave Pakistan, on the other hand there is a strong anti-immigration push. So, apart from 0.01% of the population from Pakistan, people ultimately will not be able to leave the country. So, what we need to do is think of these young men and women as leaders, innovators, and change agents. These are big words; we can say that they are clichéd words, but let me explain them to you. If your education system only gives linear thinking, rote memorization and skills.
If a university graduate can do the same thing as a vocationally trained student, if he has the same interpersonal skills and writing skills as a person who has not gone to a university, then you will not get any prospects for employment in the future because AI is going to do all of this for you. What you need to do is encourage entrepreneurship, and encourage the model of education which teaches you problem-solving and creativity. That’s why the world talked about STEM and then went to STEAM. Now, why did they put an A in Arts? Because everybody is realizing, look at the report of the World Economic Forum Future, what are they saying? They are saying that analytical skills, creative minds, creativity and mentors and tutors are what the world will need in the future. So when you talk about skill sets, please understand it has to be intellectual skill sets, not simply vocational. That would be my key message to those who are now experienced minds who are trying to change the direction of the youth.
The second thing I would like to tell you is about the generational gap. Again, something I see every day. We feel that this new generation is very different. It’s entitled, it’s not hardworking, and it’s not disciplined. What I want to tell you is that this generational gap will remain. People like me and the generation above us will keep on bothering us. But these Gen Z and Gen Alpha know how to interact with each other. So, when they become managers and leaders, they will be perfectly fine dealing with their generation. We shouldn’t look for the old sort of discipline in them. We shouldn’t look for the respect that we demand. We should harness their potential to think creatively and encourage them to become self-employed entrepreneurs. If we limit their aspirations to traditional careers like doctors, engineers, and lawyers, we risk stifling their potential. As adults, we must show patience and allow them the freedom to pursue their paths. They will not listen to you without a debate, so you have to talk to them logically.
For Gen Z, I want to say, do not discount experience. You can chart your path, you don’t have to become a doctor or lawyer, and you have many other options; find that out-of-the-box solution for you. But do not discount the fact that you will get maturity by talking to experienced minds. So this is the combination that we have to create. I see a problem in Pakistan, the elder generation is trying to mould the younger generation into their image, and the younger generation does not want to do that, also they are not getting the guidance to become something else. So I would just say that when you talk about the future, talk about making sure that the education for vocational people is vocational. For others, they have to become leaders, thinkers, creators, and entrepreneurs. They can’t be vocational. Otherwise, our country’s economy will remain at the lowest end of the value chain. Our exports are 40 billion, and the exports of our neighbouring countries are 200-400 billion. It will remain there if we don’t resolve this problem, including the IT sector, which we talk about so much. So, let’s start a conversation with Gen Z. And Gen Z, please be open to a conversation. Don’t think that because you have Google or Chat-GPT, you know everything.
The last point I would like to share with Gen Z, I see the problem in your generation is that you conflate information with knowledge. Information, you are the most informed generation ever to have walked this earth. Because you have Google, you have your phones and everything else. The definition of knowledge is to be able to transform that information into practical problem-solving. This will be done in two ways. By having a learning process in which your mind will be open. By working hard towards it. Without hard work, there will be no survival in the world, no matter what. And learning from experience. When these three things are combined, you will be able to produce the results that you want. I thank the organizers again. Thank you very much. I wish I could be there in person, but for now, this will have to do. Khuda Hafiz.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
That was a very thought-provoking message from Dr Moeed Yusuf. Now, let us hear together what Generation Z thinks of the future, and I would like to invite Air Commodore® Khalid Banuri to join us on the stage. I would also like to call on stage Anna Zafer, Muskan Moazam, Minahil Shahid, and Farina Abbas.
Team Quaid-i-Azam University Muskan Moazam
Assalamu Alaikum, everyone, and good afternoon. My name is Muskan Moazam, and I have Anna Zafer here with me. We are here to represent Team Quaid-I-Azam University. Today, as we are assigned to talk about leadership coming from the Gen Z lens, I would like Anna to ask why we need leaders today.
Anna Zafer
We need leaders for various reasons. One, they provide us with direction. Number two, they provide us with a vision, and number three, and the most important thing is, they unite people for a single cause, so what’s your take on it, Muskan?
Muskan Moazam
I believe that leadership is often confused with power, and leadership only exists if people follow, when they have the freedom to follow; otherwise, it is power, and power is not leadership. So basically, leadership is not a rank or a position, it is a decision and a choice, an informed choice that a person is making and I believe that everyone over here is a leader, at an individual level, at one place or another, everyone leads, so this is what I feel.
Anna Zafer
Let’s just envision a world 20 years from now. The world will be dominated by AI, and virtual reality will be everywhere, so in such a world, a leader will need to develop new skills to tackle all of these issues.
Muskan Moazam
I believe these are not just words; they’re a vibe check for everyone to step up and lead. Leadership isn’t about having the corner office or the loudest voice; it’s about owning responsibility, guiding others, inspiring them, and lifting them. Let’s break down the word “leadership” from a Gen Z perspective: I believe that responsible citizenship and core values like honesty and integrity are what truly define your character, and this ultimately shapes the essence of real leadership.
One major attribute is strategic foresight, seeing the bigger picture. Gen Z is known for being practical; they aren’t just thinking about today but are planning for the next 10 years. Great leaders don’t just scroll past today’s drama; they zoom in and focus on what’s coming. Strategic foresight is about thinking ahead, catching trends early, and preparing for curveballs before they hit.
Anna Zafer
I believe the most important attribute is inclusive leadership; leaders cannot work alone, they need a team. To function effectively in a cooperative environment, a leader must bring together people from diverse backgrounds to tackle the various issues mentioned earlier. As we envision a world with multiple challenges, inclusive leadership becomes essential to address them successfully.
Muskan Moazam
Then we have psychological resilience, which is one of the most important attributes for the current Gen Z, in how they deal with mental trauma and psychological challenges. Leadership isn’t a chill playlist; it comes with pressure, shadows, and flaws. Psychological resilience is what keeps a leader steady when faced with tough situations. It’s about bouncing back, learning quickly, and motivating the team to push through.
Anna Zafer
The next point is emotional intelligence, which is a crucial attribute every leader must possess. In a future world increasingly dominated by AI, emotional intelligence will play a vital role in humanizing leadership. To counterbalance the influence of AI, leaders will need to lead with empathy and emotional awareness. Furthermore, to connect with people across the globe, a leader must tap into human emotions, making emotional intelligence an essential quality for future leadership.
Muskan Moazam
Moving forward, the next point is that in a world of Snapchat filters and Instagram, Gen Z still values staying real and authentic. I believe authenticity is incredibly important; they can easily sense anything fake, and the polished masks don’t sit well with them. Gen Z prefers to be genuine, and we truly appreciate that.
Anna Zafer
We also need adaptability in a leader, because in the future we will see rapidly shifting trends, emerging technologies, meme culture, and virtual reality evolving at a fast pace. In such a dynamic environment, a leader must be able to adapt quickly and effectively handle whatever comes their way. This is why adaptability is a crucial attribute for future leadership.
Muskan Moazam
We have a social responsibility, which means showing up for more than just likes. It’s not about selfish wins, Gen Z genuinely cares about the planet, human rights, and those who are overlooked. Leaders need to step up, not sidestep, and actively push toward sustainability.
Farina Abbas
The first point I’ll discuss is vision and empowerment. Vision is not just a dream—it is a clear roadmap. A leader should have a clear sense of direction and must know what to do when to do it, and how to do it.
Minahil Shahid
What a leader needs is a problem-solving approach. If you’re not able to identify the issue, how are you going to address it? Acknowledgement is one of the key responsibilities of a leader because only by recognizing the problem can you begin to find the right path and take the necessary actions to solve it.
Farina Abbas
A leader should be a dominant figure, influential, and he should be convincing.
Minahil Shahid
To achieve this, what we need is persuasive communication. We know that communication skills – both verbal and nonverbal – are extremely important, and conversations should be two-way. If a leader is a good speaker, he should also be a good listener, so that people feel comfortable and believe he can address their issues.
Farina Abbas
Great communication isn’t just about what you say; it’s also about what you choose not to say. A leader should have a deep understanding of situations, the ability to make sound judgments, and the skill to maintain selective transparency.
Minahil Shahid
What’s also needed is people-centred leadership. Regardless of the environment he’s working in, a leader must understand what the people expect from him, the kind of team or organization he’s working with, and their ideas. If he understands this, he will be able to respond effectively.
Farina Abbas
Understanding the culture is also very important. A leader must comprehend the culture because it influences people’s thinking. When a leader is working with a team, he should know what type of culture he is working within. Only by understanding the culture can he lead the team more effectively.
Minahil Shahid
We have gathered all the aspects that we consider important in a video, as we believe that visuals are more impactful than words.
Thank you, everyone. In the end, there is a message in the form of poetry from one of our team members, Hafsa Qadri
“Tum jo dekho, agar tumhari nigahon ki
kirnon se sooraj bhi jalne lage,
Tum chalo to sahi, tum barho to sahi,
meri dehri ke manzar badal jaayein ge.
Humsafar saathiyo, be-khatar saathiyo,
tum maseeha ho, tum rag-e-jaan ho,
Tum Muhammad Ali, tum Liaquat Ali,
tum ho Quaid, tum hi nigehbaan ho.”
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you very much. I would just like to add that you can either be a successful follower or an effective leader, it depends on the situation, as Dr Adil was saying. Let’s move to the next team, Team Air University. Anas Yamin and Alina Afzal, please come up to the stage.
Team Air University
Aleena Afzal
Assalamualaikum and good afternoon, everyone. My name is Aleena Afzal, and I’m a BS IR student at Air University. We were assigned a task to identify leadership traits we wish to see in the year 2040, and the second part of the task was to propose practical solutions for achieving those traits. My team and I developed a method, which I would now like to introduce.
Staying true to Gen Z tradition, we created a group chat, though many of us tend to mute them as soon as they’re made. We brainstormed a lot of ideas and needed to find common ground, as there were many traits to consider. We wanted to identify the ones we all agreed upon and then mutually decide on the best way to achieve them. One of our team members came up with a great idea to create a questionnaire and a psychoanalysis to identify the traits most commonly valued by our groupmates. So, we conducted this initial research as a primary data survey within our group, and I would appreciate it if you all could participate in it as well.
In our discussion, we identified several key traits based on the responses to our questions. There were four questions. In answering the first question, the majority voted for an option that emphasized power and confidence. For answering the second question, the majority voted for an option that highlighted dominant choice, mental agility, and adaptability. For answering the third question, participants expressed a preference for empathy and critical thinking. Lastly, for answering the fourth question, the majority focused on emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills. Now, I would like to invite my colleague Anas Yamin to present the solutions that we came up with. Thank you.
Anas Yamin
Thank you. So, I’ve got solutions, something Gen Z loves coming up with, or at least we think we do. Anyway, the team was divided into four groups, and each group focused on a specific trait. Group 1 had willpower and confidence, group 2 had others, and so on. Now, we all know the 5-second rule: if you drop something on the ground, pick it up within 5 seconds and it’s clean, ready to use.
That rule, in a way, reflects a lack of patience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. You need those five seconds to start thinking critically and jump into action. That’s the Gen Z vibe: “If something can be done quickly, do it; otherwise, drop it.” It’s self-replicative humor, and that’s the essence of Gen Z, the epitome of who we are. Anyway, then we have confidence, keep it simple: be precise, be concise, and speak with gravity. Don’t drag out the situation, which happens a lot, especially in a university.
Speak with assertiveness and maintain a good posture, which I’m pretending to do right now, and it’s working, somewhat. But that’s really what it’s about: if you’re unsure whether you’re courageous or not, and you pretend to be, then congratulations, you are courageous. That’s the first step toward becoming a leader. Now, moving on to vision and adaptability. On the topic of adaptability, I’d say we need to let go of the obsession with instant gratification. Delayed gratification is something we need to work on.
All those quick replies on Instagram and WhatsApp have conditioned us to operate at a pace that limits deeper thinking. We need to reflect more, listen carefully, and develop techniques that help us build patience, like actually reading someone’s full message before replying, instead of just reacting with a quick “okay.”
Gaming for one hour a day is our version of reading the Sunday morning newspaper. I know that might sound redundant to some, but Gen Z has this drive to explore and discover. Can you imagine going to Mount Everest and jumping off without a parachute? Not that it’s a challenge, but in the gaming world, that’s possible. I know I’m rambling, but that attitude is something to be noted. It’s just who we are, and we own it confidently. Then there’s that one day a week when you pick something new to learn. I love learning languages and reading books. Even dedicating one to two hours a day to something educational or social is important. Go out, take a break, and touch grass, whatever that means.
The point is to get outside, breathe some fresh air, and observe how people are living and performing beyond the walls of their homes because we’re lacking that connection in many ways. Now, talking about problem-solving, we use the five ‘Whys’ method. Let me put it this way: with the first “why,” you get a feeling; with the second, you get an idea; with the third, you identify the problem; with the fourth, you come up with a solution; and with the fifth, you uncover the root reason behind all of those “whys.” When it comes to emotional intelligence, if someone approaches you with a problem and you respond like a stone-cold wall – whether you offer a solution or not – it’s no longer enough. People now expect empathy. They expect you to understand.
So when someone opens up to you, use phrases like “I can see why you feel that way,” make them feel included, understood, and seen. Let them know you’re genuinely acknowledging their experiences and perspectives. Say, “You’re part of my team, I get where you’re coming from, let me help you.” And trust me, when you do that, you won’t lose a follower, an employee, or anyone you’re working with.
Now, I believe someone mentioned that you need to surround yourself with good people, and that’s true. A leader is known by the company he keeps, and that’s very important. These days, most people turn to Instagram and think that’s the only company they need, but no, that’s not it. This also ties into the concept of delayed gratification. Stop wasting time on social media; go outside, interact with real people, and observe how they think and how they speak, because trust me, you’re not truly connecting through a message reply. Empathy, which I previously touched upon, plays a crucial role; it’s about elevating your emotional intelligence to such a level that people can feel it radiating from you. They should be able to sense that you will understand them, and that understanding is exactly what we need. Trust me, so many discussions have turned into arguments simply due to a lack of understanding, leading to unnecessary misunderstandings, something Gen Z has to deal with daily. Critical thinking means not being afraid to question others. When someone presents a vision or an ideology, ask why they feel that way and how it is possible, because that is what helps you realize there are perspectives beyond your own. It allows you to understand how the world is evolving and how you need to evolve with it. If five people come to you with different problems, scenarios, and visions, and you lack critical thinking or empathy, you’ll end up confused, like a rubber duck floating aimlessly in an overflowing tub.
Now, on that note, I’m not saying we have everything figured out, yes, we are the future, but we need to practice. We need to raise the flag of consistent effort because practice leads to improvement. Never disregard that notion. You can always become better than the ideal of perfection you hold in your mind. We are creative beings by nature. Before I leave, let me share some advice for becoming a better leader: if you want to lead, never think of yourself as mediocre or just normal. There is no such thing as mediocre – unique only, and make sure your brand of uniqueness stands out above all. Thank you.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you for sharing your views. We are pleased to have some esteemed experts with us today. I would like to invite Dr Noor Amna Malik, Professor Dr Rukhsana Kouser, and Abdul Waris Hameed to come to the stage, please. Abdul Waris Hameed, at a relatively young age, is truly a man for all seasons. He is a Research Associate at the Center for Security Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, where he teaches courses on traditional and non-traditional security at the School of Integrated Social Sciences. His research areas include climate change, national security issues, strategic culture, warfare, and military history. In addition to his academic pursuits, Abdul is an avid photographer and has practiced social documentary photography for over a decade. His work has been exhibited internationally, including New York and Berlin showcases. He is also the founder of the NAIST Photography Talk Forum. Please join me in welcoming Mr Abdul Waris Hameed to the stage.
Abdul Waris Hameed Research Associate, University of Lahore
Thank you very much for a generous introduction, and to the man who wrote it, thank you very much, Khalid Banuri. He has been trying to engage me with this idea for a long time, and I’m happy that I’m here. I was asked to give my observations about the discus sions and presentations before, so I’ll come to that in a bit. I’m from the last of the Millennials, who at times behave very close to Gen Z, like sometimes we do have the habit of doing that, but so I’ll come to why I’m here. I’m here because of one big reason, and that reason sits at the end of this row, Mr Banuri. I just love the way he is pursuing this ambition of making sure that the generations that are to come are better than the generations that we have had in the past.
And the other reason is that, I’m fond of him and that I told him last time when he was in Lahore, I told him and that’s a quote from “The Picture of the Dorian Gray by Oscar Wild” and it says that “You’ll always be fond of me because I present to you all the sins you never dared to commit.” So that is one reason I’m fond of him, that he has committed a lot more sins than I ever dared to commit, and the same goes for a lot more people in the room.
So, coming back to Gen Z and leadership, I have not been in a lot of leadership roles in my life, as a lot of you who are sitting here have been. As one of the participants mentioned about crises, I’ve never been into life crises, but small issues and crises were there, like a pair of socks doesn’t match up, that’s a crisis one day and about other crises, not replying to your wife on time can lead to crises at times. For instance, I just messaged her to let her know that the signal is weak here, so she shouldn’t doubt me. This is a lesson I’ve learned from a few people in my life who have taught me important things. Life is interesting in that you can teach someone in two ways: one, by telling them what to think, and the other, by teaching them how to think. So, I’m not going to talk about leadership in a way that dictates what to think about it, but I’m going to discuss how to think about leadership. I feel something, and that is a significant problem right now, not just here in this room but elsewhere as well.
When we talk about leadership, we envision certain figures; we create mental images of leaders like Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, and some war generals, among others. We also recognized many heroes during COVID-19 and beyond. However, leadership comes from within. You either lead or you follow, but for me, leadership is a deeply internal affair. It’s like I am both leading and following myself. Leadership does not begin with guiding a group of four or five people; it starts each day when you wake up and lead yourself through life, reflecting on what you want to achieve and taking charge of your goals.
One thing they missed in my generous introduction is that I was an engineer first before I ventured into the social sciences. I pursued engineering because I followed my parents’ wishes, lacking the courage to follow my ambitions at that time. There are many broken dreams in this room from those who have accomplished much in life, often because their parents wanted them to follow a certain path or due to economic circumstances that restricted their freedom to choose, so leadership originates from that very fundamental place. If we want to prepare the new generation for leadership, we should be training them to lead themselves, first take charge of themselves, and this is I think pretty much visible in the next generation, Gen Z as we go along interacting with them, as much as we want to think that their direction is in their selves and they know what do. As Mr Khalid said, they had clarity about what to do in the next 10 years. One excellent example is that once my wife and I were sitting with one of my sisters-in-law, who’s a very late Gen Z, she threw a message in our WhatsApp group, ‘Let’s have Sehri at 12:30 AM on a Saturday’, and that was Thursday. And I was thinking who thinks so far ahead? I’m not sure if I’ll be awake, or I will be tired, or what, but this is how Gen Z thinks. They think ahead and with a lot more clarity than at least we used to think.
I would like to slightly disagree with what Dr Moeed Yusuf said about vocational and soft skills. The issue with vocational skills is that our entire educational system, which I am a part of, and many people here are as well, ultimately prioritizes vocational skills. While soft skills are considered very important, rewards are predominantly given for vocational skills. Grading, GPA, and merit are all based on vocational skills rather than soft skills. If we want the younger generation to embrace the concept of soft skills, we have a key opportunity to reshape our system to give importance to soft skills.
Again, as I mentioned, we need to evaluate leadership; is it a means to an end, or is it an end in itself, such as wanting to be a leader for the sake of being one, or is leadership, as Dr Adil noted, largely situational? Those who make sense at a specific time can lead, and then another person can take over. This reminds me of a dialogue in the German Play “The Life of Galileo,” where one character states, “Pity the land that breeds no heroes,” and another replies, “Pity the land that needs heroes.” Thus, we don’t need leaders in that sense; we need individuals who wake up each day and think about what they can contribute, what value they can add to this day, month, year, or semester, and who continue to grow. Everything you’ve mentioned that I would like to share boils down to one thing: bravery and courage. As someone said earlier, we need to start from somewhere, right?
We need to take a step of courage. As Allama Iqbal expressed, “Shujaat (courage), Adalat (justice), Imanat (trust),” and indeed, justice and trust can only prevail when courage resides within. You enact justice when you dare to admit, “I am wrong, you are right,” which creates balance, and trust involves passing on to the next generation the values you once received. Therefore, bravery is crucial, and consider bravery in various aspects. Integrity is bravery, speaking the truth, acknowledging your mistakes, and being just, all embody bravery. It is courage under grace and grace under pressure This is the essence of courage. When crisis strikes, it becomes particularly significant. As a photographer, I’ve learned that there are no rules to taking a great photograph; there are only great photographs. Similarly, I don’t believe there are specific ingredients for a great leader; great leaders exist within all of us, but it ultimately comes down to one question: Are we ready to take charge of what comes next?
I believe this reflects my vision for the future generation and the important lesson this exercise teaches us. It does not explicitly define what Gen Z is, but you each have your journeys to explore, to understand who you are and what you need, as well as what you enjoy. This marks the beginning of leadership: knowing what you want and then seeking it. Thank you very much.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you so much, Mr Hameed, and now it is my pleasure to introduce you to Dr Noor Amna Malik. She is a highly distinguished leader in the Higher Education and Policy realm. She is currently the Managing Director of The National Academy of Higher Education at the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, with around three decades of extensive professional development experience. Her areas of expertise include monitoring and evaluation, learning and research, human resource development, strategic public policy planning, quality assurance, organizational behavior, university governance, project management, academic planning and management, and effective communications. Dr Malik has represented Pakistan as a keynote speaker and resource person at numerous national and international forums. She has served as a Syndicate or Board of Governors Member at universities, including the University of Punjab. Madam, please share your views.
Dr Noor Amna Malik Managing Director, National Academy of Higher Education at HEC
Bismillah- ir- Rehman-ir Rahim. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr Ikram Sehgal, Mr Khalid Banuri, and Dr Salma for this beautiful assembly of people. Frankly, while the moderator was introducing me, I was gradually losing my confidence, thinking about all the things that these young people had talked about and feeling that I had probably not achieved as much as is being attributed to me.
A long time ago, a drama was broadcast on PTV with the title of ‘Alpha-Bravo-Charlie’, and some of you may remember that there was this particular scene in it where senior Officers at the PMA were discussing the junior lot. The gist of the scene was that they were reminiscing about their time, wondering how their time and lot were better than the new crop of Lieutenants and Captains. This reflects our basic human psychology of how we consider the past times and past generations better than the current times or the newer generations.
However, I would like to take this moment to interject into this train of thought, emphasizing that our future is not only bright, but our future is absolutely clear. Our future is also much more focused. And this is something we need to bear in mind when we glorify the past and the generations that inhabited it, out of our ethos of traditionalism and conservatism.
Because of the shortage of time, I would not like to repeat or dwell on the things that have already been brought forth. I would, however, like to offer a brief comparison by way of a synopsis. I was pleasantly surprised by the traits of spontaneity, innocence, and natural leadership that were displayed by Team Quaid-I-Azam University. It was very much aligned with the concept of situational leadership that was broached by one of the speakers, elucidating how one should be able to gather their senses and act on their intuition and gut feeling when an unforeseen situation arises.
Similarly, it was heartening to see how you all displayed team spirit, coming to the rescue of any team member who suddenly found themselves off balance, and you did all this while excelling in terms of the sheer brilliance of your ideas, your laser-sharp focus and the clarity with which you answered each question without losing confidence. There was only one thing that was missing, and I would not attribute that missing factor to the team, but see it as a reflection of the generation that it represented. I would briefly discuss this with the caveat that I acknowledge in advance that I may or may not be right in viewing it as a generational feature. Hopefully, I will be able to explain my view with the help of a small personal anecdote.
As a member of Generation X, I recently got into an argument with a colleague, a member of Generation Z. Unfortunately, it came to a point where she felt that it was better to resign from her position. On her last day in office, we both got a chance to meet again and dispassionately review the situation, we felt that it could have been avoided if we had made a bit more effort to understand each other from the viewpoint of the generational ethos that we represent and that have been inculcated into our personality makeup. I even asked her at that time to withdraw her resignation, but sadly, she felt that it would not seem appropriate to do so on the very last day, so we both were left wondering how we had been blindsided by our viewpoints, which often result in a generational clash.
I agree with most of the good points that were made by you guys, but I would like you to remember Samuel Beckett’s Play ‘Waiting for Godot’ as you go forward in life. The play is centered on the idea of waiting for a savior or a messiah, and I feel that a lot of generations have spent their lifetimes waiting for that savior who would drain the swamp and make it a paradise. I would not like you to repeat that mistake, but instead, accept that your generation is the savior that we have been waiting for. I do not think one can give a better compliment to your generation than acknowledging that you are our Godot; that you are our saviors. You possess the potential to take this country to the level that we have all wanted for so long, but, like many, I feel that you need to learn to harness the power that you possess and better channel your energy.
As another participant had very beautifully pointed out, while our generation should not stand in your way, exacting a toll tax of reverence, you may benefit from our experience of having trodden a similar path before you. I was pleased to see how both teams displayed a team spirit where their team members complemented each other with the individual personality traits that they brought to the mix, creating a harmonious and enabling environment, and I think there is a lesson in it for us that our traits and qualities are not encompassing – whether as a person or a generation.
One of the participants highlighted how he possessed a good sense of sarcasm. Just like sarcasm, any trait would work a lot of times, but not all the time. This is where we learn to lean on the traits that others bring to our side, and a good experience is one such quality. This is why I would request you to never develop the megalomania of being omniscient. Sadly, we see this a lot where one generation turns to the other, claiming that they alone better understand the times and their circumstances. Kindly do not fall for the fallacy of thinking and the habit of behaving as if you know everything.
Just as Mr Banuri has highlighted, we gladly acknowledge that you are the most informed generation of our times, but you will need to learn how to channel that information into action through wisdom and collaboration. This too represents situational leadership, where you do more than what is expected of you, like one of the recipients of Nishan-e-Haider, who, despite being a jeep driver, did well above and beyond what was in his job description. Like a lot of members of your generation, you have AI models at your disposal to help you make better and more informed decisions, but please remember that AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and now and then you will also need natural wisdom and intelligence to make better decisions that affect not only your life but that of others. As one of the participants has pointed out, this wisdom is innate to all human beings, and so you will come across it in your generation as well as the previous generation.
Hence, I would repeat my request to not let this access to the information highway blindside you into ignoring the wisdom or experience that others may be able to offer you. I hope my personal experience has helped me better explain my viewpoint on this matter. I am pleased to see and acknowledge that I feel your generation possesses a lot of traits and qualities that our generation lacked. You not only possess the confidence that youth brings, but also possess the core values of honesty and openness, where you do not shy away from discussing things simply because they have not been discussed before. I admire that you do not compromise on your perspective and views to simply appease someone else’s ego, and this is why I feel that the country’s future is far brighter than we sometimes acknowledge. I, and many of my generation, feel hopeful that it will be your generation that will fulfill the dreams of past leaders like Quaid-i-Azam and present leaders like Mr Sehgal.
We only hope that while doing so, you will not only rely upon your traits of confidence and access to knowledge but will also uphold your other moral principles and core values that teach you to show empathy and respect to those who have come before you.
By all means, rely upon your traits, let it be sarcasm or access to AI, but do not let these traits blindside you into ignoring what others can offer you on this journey. Do not inadvertently hurt the feelings or pride of the elder generation, who also want to see you succeed. This is where possessing situation awareness, emotional intelligence, and situational leadership will help you strike a perfect balance of bridging the gap between what the past can teach and what the future can achieve.
My organization focuses on developing and improving the quality of teachers across the country. Having watched you discuss your ideas, I can happily say that I see teachers in you. There is a lot we can learn from you, but there is also a lot we can learn from each other. Age is not a merit in itself, but there is also no replacement for the wisdom that it can sometimes bring. Therefore, I do not want you to compromise on your confidence or views. Instead, I ask you to uphold your moral principles and core values, but while doing so, do not break away from the generational foundation that has been created for you by the previous generations.
As Mr Waris has correctly pointed out, leadership comes from within. We often lose our objectivity when we are focusing only on our viewpoint, and this is one of the hazards of leadership. Therefore, we all need to learn to understand and accept the other person’s perspective as well. This understanding is what I have witnessed in both teams today, but I feel that this understanding is largely limited to your own generation and peer group. You need to learn to extend this understanding and empathy to the previous generation as well because this is what I feel is one of the challenges that we need to address together. I would again congratulate you, sir, for enabling this meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas today that has strengthened my belief that Pakistan is going in the right direction and that our future is very clear and focused.
Lastly, do not let the information overload hinder you from directing all this wealth of information effectively because this strength of having access to the information highway can sometimes present a dilemma of choice as well where you feel inundated by the many options at your disposal as was shared by Mr Sehgal’s granddaughter when discussing her various career options. Together, we can better channel this information overload in a structured way for a better future that we bring into existence. Personally, when I go back to work on Monday, I will be speaking with my colleagues to create an enabling environment where we try to better understand Gen Z and its ethos. On your part, I would request a bit more understanding of what our generation can bring to the table in terms of its rich experience. Whether it is your parents, your teachers, or your colleagues, do not dismiss them altogether simply because they belong to the previous generation and do not have access to the information tools that you have at your disposal. This alone should not be used to judge whether or not they understand the world that they share with you. If you can avoid this pitfall, then there is no doubt that you will be the torchbearers for the bright future that we have all been waiting for.
We will, Insha Allah, follow your more compassionate and ethical leadership, wishing the best for the future. Just remember to not overestimate yourself or underestimate others as we go forward. Let us create an environment of mutual respect and understanding where we can better channel the twin streams of information and experience to create a better world with better products and better ideas. With this, I would like to take my leave from you as I feel that I may have gone over the 10 minutes that were originally allotted to me. I enjoyed being a part of this discussion, and I pray that we can enkindle this beautiful spirit of collaboration and cooperation in our daily interactions. Being the future, the responsibility of carrying forward this tradition now rests on you, and I hope that you will do justice to the task of maintaining and growing this forum. Thank you.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
We have another female leader with us today, and it is an honor to introduce Dr Rukhsana Kausar. She is the Pro Vice-Chancellor at Rashid Latif Khan University, Lahore and is a Professor Emeritus at the University of the Punjab. She has held key positions, including Vice Chancellor of Government College for Women, University, Sialkot, and Lahore College for Women, University. With four decades of teaching and research experience and 20 years of being in senior management, she has published 125 research papers and collaborated on numerous national and international projects across the UK, USA, Europe, Africa, Bangladesh, and India. She is a fellow and member of several prestigious psychological associations, including the American Psychological Association, British Psychological Society, and International Medical Sciences Academy. She has also played a key role in policymaking and ethical guidelines for research in Pakistan. Please welcome Dr Rukhsana Kausar.
Dr Rukhsana Kausar, Pro Vice-Chancellor Rashid Latif Khan University
Thank you very much, Sehrish, for such an illustrative introduction. Being the last speaker, perhaps, first of all, I would like to thank the organizers, particularly Ikram Sehgal, Khalid Banuri, and the teams from Quaid-I-Azam University and Air University. It is a delightful experience to be here and also to listen to your points of view. Because my profession is also psychology, I must probably have a different perspective. I have listened to both teams, and they have done a wonderful job. The first team has collated certain attributes and I was delighted to see that there is a lot of research being done on all these human traits and leadership qualities, and what types of leaders we have. There are different types of leadership, like autocratic, democratic, hypocritical, and now we also see situational leadership. The era of leadership typologies has passed; everyone is a leader with unique characteristics, falling on a continuum.
First, Team Quaid-I-Azam University collated all those leadership qualities, and they did it wonderfully by animating and impressively presenting them. Well done! You were very innovative and inspired me with the belief that, in the future, we will likely see a majority of women leaders. The QAU team was made up of girls, and the audience consisted mostly of girls as well.
Secondly, Team Air University was innovative in using an empirical approach. They conceptualized the concept and then developed a questionnaire, gathered data, analyzed it, and based on that, they extracted the traits that a leader would have. What intrigued me was that all these questions and the responses were those that were socially desirable responses, which I would say that the respondents were very clever at what would be acceptable responses. I would appreciate it if you could examine the dimensionalities of the two additional options you presented. Consider what traits would reflect a person’s choices. If the majority responded differently, what leadership dimensionality would that indicate? I’d note that the focus is on your presentation approach, which was excellent. Both teams had distinct styles, yet they were clear and enthusiastic while addressing an elite audience.
I served as the Governor’s Chancellor of the University of Punjab, leading character-building initiatives through the character-building consortium. Initially focused on university students, I advocated for including teachers and staff, recognizing that educators are role models for students. We identified three tiers to work with: students, teachers, and staff, as ethical breaches occur at all levels. Focusing on teachers can help instill the values we want to promote among students.
I believe you are the torchbearers. You will likely learn from us, but we should also be learning from you. I learn something every day from my nephew, for example. However, I’ve observed that with modern technology and constant access to gadgets, attention spans have significantly decreased. That’s something we need to address. The second issue is distractibility. We’re constantly distracted. For example, if you don’t check your phone for just 30 minutes, it can feel like the world is ending. This level of distraction is sabotaging our ability to manage time effectively, and time management is a critical leadership skill.
Another important area we need to focus on is the development of three types of skills. Waris, I respectfully disagree with your point of view and would instead endorse Mr Moeed Yusuf’s perspective. Universities are not vocational colleges. We already have institutions like NAVTTC and various technical colleges that are responsible for training electricians, plumbers, and other skilled workers. Why should universities take on that role? The primary purpose of universities is to generate and develop knowledge through research and to formulate policies based on that knowledge. You cannot turn universities into vocational training centers like NAVTTC – they serve fundamentally different purposes.
When discussing skill sets amidst any change, three main categories are essential. First, soft skills encompass communication, especially listening, confidence, assertiveness, and managing emotions, as well as practicing delayed gratification. These are crucial for emotional intelligence. Second, social intelligence involves how we interact and empathize with others, creating safe spaces for honest communication. Our parenting styles can sometimes be intimidating. We need to train parents to encourage open dialogue at home. The current generation faces a disconnect in communication, and we must reflect on our listening skills rather than solely blaming them. As Madam Noor mentioned in her example, she didn’t listen to her junior. This is common. We have many inhibitions, and we tend to give our opinions without first listening. We often jump to conclusions without having sufficient evidence and are influenced by selective perception.
To be a true leader, one must remain neutral and represent everyone, not just individual interests. For instance, as a prospective Vice Chancellor, I must protect the interests of all and listen to diverse viewpoints, setting aside personal opinions. We operate in a conformity-based culture where lobbying influences decisions. This raises questions about our reluctance to open discussion in these forums. We need to embrace inclusivity as a genuine value, not just a buzzword.
I want to emphasize a few key points: be self-aware and open to criticism, as it can be a tool for improvement rather than a personal attack. While everyone’s mistakes are easily noticed, constructive feedback often starts with positives, especially from external reviewers. We should avoid using “this is inherited” as an excuse for unchanging behavior; instead, recognize that behavior can evolve. Committing to daily self-reflection and being open to learning from others can lead to meaningful growth. Additionally, our culture of unconditional respect sometimes discourages students from questioning teachers, which can hinder curiosity.
Remember, not everyone needs to be a leader, and that’s okay. Focus on being a good person, and leadership will follow naturally. It requires hard work, commitment, and ownership. Lastly, wherever you study, be an ambassador for your institution. Your behavior reflects on it. And when you go abroad, be a proud ambassador of Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you so much, Madam, for your profound insights and for sharing your experiences with us. Now we have an interactive session with the audience, and I would like to ask Khalid Banuri to please take over.
Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri
Thank you. This process started some days ago; they have been sweating, and there have been tears. Now it’s time to draw blood. Stay back, and that’s when we want to talk to the audience and ask for reactions. Gen Z has a certain view on how they should prepare themselves and what to focus on to be effective future leaders in 10 to 20 years. What do the rest of us think? There were two teams: Quaid-i-Azam and Air University, but I am aware that there are some Gen Z representatives from other universities and entities. I think the first opportunity should go to anyone having a different view of what has already been said.
From the audience
First of all, I just wanted to say that all the points from the teams were really good, and all those attributes should be present in a leader. However, something that wasn’t mentioned is remaining humble, which I believe is very important. I was researching this a few days ago and came across Malala Yousafzai, a very renowned individual who is a prominent leader, especially in Pakistani female society. She has raised a lot of awareness about our community, and despite winning a Nobel Prize and receiving all the recognition that she rightfully deserves, she remains humble and acknowledges the experiences of underprivileged females in Pakistan. That is another crucial factor.
Furthermore, as someone said, coming up with a vision is very important for a leader, but I feel that the steps toward that vision are far more important for a leader to implement. Anyone can come up with a great vision for an organization; for example, employees can propose ideas. However, the leader is the one who has to take steps to reach that goal.
Ms Ameera Adil Special Initiatives Lead, Climate Vulnerable Forum
Many people tag me as a leader, even though I don’t consider myself one. A little about me: I’m the Co-chair of Women and Energy Pakistan, one of the founders of Youth Climate Activists Pakistan, and I founded Climate Foresight Pakistan. Until recently, I was the head of sustainability at NUST. Yesterday, I discussed with someone how, if Mirza Ghalib were alive today, he might not be accepted by society. Many of the young leaders in Pakistan face a similar lack of acceptance. This is an area where Gen Z, Millennials, and others can work to create an environment where people are accepted as they are, allowing them to contribute meaningfully. We all have something valuable to offer, but we must not let social norms and traditions become so extreme that they hinder positive contributions to society. Thank you.
Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri
When we were discussing this idea, one of the points we talked about was that we all understand and accept that different generations think differently. Boomers have their perspective, Millennials see things uniquely, and Gen Z and Alpha also have distinct views. We must listen to the perspectives of parents, who may have differing opinions from their children. I’d like to take the liberty of calling on Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, ladies and gentlemen. He has been the Pakistan Chair at Oxford University for four years and was the Vice-Chancellor of Sargodha University. He has also been a member of the Planning Commission. By the way, the first Gen Z representative we heard from is his daughter. So, Dr Ishtiaq, do you think there are differences between your views and those of your children? How do you see Gen Z?
Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad Ex VC, Sargodha University
Thank you, Khalid, for the opportunity; it is also a privilege to acknowledge Ikram Sehgal’s contribution. I have read him for a very long time and believe he has significantly contributed to the discourse on security issues in Pakistan over the past 30 years. So, it’s a great privilege; thank you so much. I will speak about a few points based on my humble experiences in life. During this time, I have primarily dealt with youth.
The reason we are discussing these different generations is that, in the past two or three decades, thanks to this International Revolution, life has accelerated, and it continues to speed up. Our focus has been on our Generation and then Generation Z, but we also consider that Generation Z and Alpha have a relationship, and the issues this generation faces may be far more important. These spans will tighten over time due to the vast amount of information and possibilities for change right before us.
One of my concluding points is that the time for moral lecturing between generations is over. Sometimes we find ourselves lecturing the younger generation, who may not be willing to listen. This point was also raised by Mr Moeed Yusuf at the beginning. I base my observations on experiences in urban settings in Pakistan, modern societies outside Pakistan over several years, and within a semi-urban, largely rural context in the heart of Punjab. I understand that every subsequent generation tends to be better than the previous one. Leadership is a broad term, and we often get caught up in jargon. The individual who concluded the discussion at Air University, whose presentations I found fascinating, ended with the word ‘unique.’ This refers to our traits as individuals, and I believe individuality is what truly matters. Therefore, we need to focus on that.
My second point concerns a paradox, and I will list five points for you. Four of these points are drawn from my own experiences, especially in leadership positions; they might not entirely resonate with the younger audience here. The paradox in Pakistan lies between black and white: when we discuss values, we present ourselves as custodians of the highest ideals, but often, our actions the next day contradict those values. This stems from the significant growth of conflict in society and politics, which has led to this dichotomy.
Now, regarding Generation Z, their paradox is that a large portion of their activities, information gathering, and even knowledge acquisition take place in cyberspace, a global arena. Yet, the reality of their lives is filled with conflict in the physical world. This fundamental contradiction constrains their leadership abilities in the physical realm and empowers them in the cyberspace global arena, where all leadership traits we discuss are relevant. We have significantly contributed to the conflict in society, and I believe we should refrain from dictating to the younger generation. They will learn the necessary attributes on their own.
This is a personal family insight I’ve gained. I have realized that it was wrong on my part as a father to dictate to my eldest child, who is abroad. I now hesitate to offer any advice because, once I cross that boundary by moving from discussion into lecturing, the telephonic conversation ends. The second aspect of this paradox is the immigration controls that hinder Pakistanis from travelling abroad. We should not in-still fear in the audience or Generation Z regarding the restrictive global environment; we are unsure of what the future holds. One point I want to emphasize is that we need to focus not on our time, which is over, but on Generation Z and Alpha. We do not need to instruct them; they will automatically perceive themselves as global citizens. It is no longer about being Pakistani or South Asian. If the global space is indeed the future, we need to encourage the younger generation to move beyond narrow ethnic, religious, regional, nationalistic, and patriotic considerations into a domain compatible with the emerging realities of our time.
So, the four points in leadership are: the first is passion. Without passion, you cannot pursue the other attributes. The second and third pieces, which are ultimately two further components of passion, are patience and persistence, which boil down to perseverance. It takes time to achieve anything. Finally, in leadership, insight and foresight are crucial, but the last quality or attribute of leadership is precision. If you have unwavering faith and your quest is driven by values, then, when the moment for decision-making arrives, it must be precise. You cannot exhibit any flexibility that a patronage-driven culture imposes upon you in societies like Pakistan. Thank you very much.
Air Commodore (R) Khalid Banuri
Thank you. We understood various aspects, primarily relating to academia, but I would be remiss if I did not try to understand it from the corporate point of view. How do you put leadership into practice? It is my proud privilege to request Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, Head of the Competition Commission of Pakistan, to tell us his view on leadership and how effective leaders can be created. Anything that you tell us would be appreciated.
Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, Chairman Competition Commission of Pakistan
First of all, I would like to pay a massive tribute to Ikram Sehgal. Rarely do I come across people who become very wealthy and successful, and then de cide to give back to society. I heard about a phenomenon in the UK where the wealthy return their wealth to society and younger generations. I pray that you continue this important work. I left Pakistan at 18 after my father, a Religious Scholar, passed away. I felt lost upon arriving in the UK, especially since I had started questioning my life path at 13. My father was ill, and as the youngest child, all my siblings had moved on. A wise neighbor advised me to first determine my destination and then find the direction to reach it. I’m sorry I missed the previous session, but I would like to explain my understanding of leadership. This advice from my neighbor stayed with me for a long time, and I ended up in the UK without my parents, who were still in Pakistan. I had to piece my life together bit by bit and find my way.
I had many role models around me, from those driving nice cars to others focused on education. I felt lost, searching for direction and grieving a personal loss. One day, I watched a debate where a Black man shared his tough upbringing in a state home in the UK, which inspired me to think, “If he can overcome that, so can I.” Gradually, I began to piece my life together. It feels like just yesterday I was in your shoes,
having spent 10 years at Manchester University for my undergraduate, Master’s, PhD, and post-doctorate studies, even teaching there. I met many young people like you trying to find their skills. For example, two young kids stand out in my mind; they were from local villages, two white kids. I looked at them and thought they had something special, so I talked to them to figure out their backgrounds. One of them said, “My mother and father have raised hundreds of children. They receive help from the state, and sometimes the parents’ actions affect the next generation.” I noticed that these kids would go to sleep around 7 or 8 a.m., while the rest of the crowd would stay awake until 4 p.m. after partying the entire night and then wake up at 5 p.m. to begin their day, hitting the gym.
Throughout my career at the university, I compiled a small list of talented individuals I encountered. For instance, I met my barber, whose son fled Iraq as an asylum seeker and became a top mathematician, ending up at Cambridge with top grades in his A-levels. I could tell from a distance that he was destined to be a mathematician. Over time, I followed his career and saw that he became a Quant, someone who combines mathematics and economics. I’m not com pletely sure of his exact path, but he secured a good job with an investment bank. I spoke with my carpet fitter about his daughter, who attended Cambridge, to gather insights on skills for my children. There’s a lot of talent out there, and those with it usually recognize it. In the UK, I’d say anyone could become a singer or footballer due to the financial rewards. If you’re naturally inclined toward fields like economics, mathematics, or physics, that’s great. However, developing a skill is essential. Most of us follow traditional career paths like medicine or law, so it’s important to consider your career trajectory.
From an early age in the UK, going to university can be expensive, costing around £100,000. Many people simply choose a degree without knowing what they want to do, which I observed in young people around 21 or 22 years of age who had no clear direction but had pursued degrees in social sciences. Conversely, some students knew exactly what they wanted before starting their degrees and were clear about their goals. In my research within the corporate sector, I’ve found that companies with clear mottos are often more successful. Similarly, young people who write down their goals tend to achieve more.
I advise students in the UK to create a personal business model and consider their future steps, especially if studying economics. Identifying “super habits” is essential for leadership. At 14, my father introduced me to this concept. I recognized that going to the gym and reading daily were key habits for me. Since then, I’ve maintained these habits, and I wish I had realized the importance of sleeping early as well. You must determine your super habits and find ways to integrate them into your life.
I would like to emphasize that some people have a very high IQ level, while others have high EQ and still others have a very high SQ or social quotient. So that’s IQ, EQ, and SQ. From my experience observing corporate leaders, those who had very high emotional intelligence often reached the top. This is notto say that those with high IQ levels did not succeed; it’s just something to consider. I have a long list of super habits I want to discuss. I believe one of them is vision, focus, and priorities. Each one of you should know exactly where your priorities lie, and focus is essential for wherever you want to go. I think adaptability, passion, discipline, reactiveness, optimism, patience, time management, and decisiveness are crucial.
Some of the books I read highlight these super habits. Another book that changed my life is ‘The One Thing.’ The author talks about how he pursued one objective in life and let go of everything else. From my analysis over the last 20 years, I have encountered people who pursued a single goal, and they made it to the top. I would also recommend ‘The Compound Effect’ by Darren Hardy. He has a short speech on YouTube that I think you should all watch. Additionally, another book Iread is “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People “; I believe this is another worthwhile read. I could list many more books and discuss each of these habits with you, but it would become very thematic, normative, and theoretical unless I provide examples. Time is short, so I should conclude my speech here. Thank you so much.
Sehrish Mustafa (Moderator)
Thank you very much, Sir. As we near the end of the event, I would like to introduce you to the CEO of the Providentia Books Foundation, Brigadier® Mujahid Alam. He is a distinguished expert in international security, peacekeeping, and governance, with over 50 years of experience at both national and international levels. Brigadier Alam served in the Pakistan Army for 32 years, during which he held key positions as Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff at Corps Headquarters, and Military Attaché to the UK and Sweden.
He has made significant contributions to conflict rehabilitation, peace negotiations, and discussions on the UN Arms Trade Treaty. Additionally, he was a member of the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Rwanda. In the education sector, Brigadier Alam served as the Principal of Lawrence College Murree from 2013 to 2024, where he focused on academic excellence and character development. Please join me in welcoming Brigadier Mujahid Alam.
Brigadier (R) Mujahid Alam CEO, Providentia Books Foundation
Bismillah- ir- Rehman-ir Rahim, Thank you very much, Sehrish. This has been a fascinating session and I have greatly enjoyed being here, I must say right at the outset that I’m greatly impressed by the challenge, the confidence and the knowledge displayed by the young generation, the young women and men from the two universities who are participating here and who are the future leaders of our beautiful country.
My faith, trust, and hope increase manifold whenever I interact with the younger generation, and today’s session has further solidified and confirmed this belief. I truly believe that your generation is the most important generation of Pakistan after the first generation, the generation of the founders, and I say this for several reasons. First, because as a country and as a society, we are facing unprecedented challenges. Second, because of the revolutionary developments in science, technology, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, space medicine and more, the world has never witnessed before this, particularly at such a rapid pace. Almost every day, every week, every month, something new is being developed, making it a truly transformative era. That is why I highlight that your generation holds critical importance for the future of Pakistan.
You are living in a remarkable time, and the choices you make, the habits you develop, and the goals you set today will shape the journey of your entire life. It is crucial to understand this. Let me illustrate this point with a powerful analogy from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where Brutus says to Cassius: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries.” This means that every person encounters moments of opportunity – tides – that must be seized. Each one of you here today will experience such tides in your own lives. It is essential to recognize those moments and act decisively, for they have the power to shape your destiny.
There are many examples to learn from, and an excellent one is present here with us in this hall – Mr Ikram Sehgal. The reason I highlight his story is that there was a tide in his life in 1977, and he recognized and seized that opportunity by founding Pathfinder Private Limited. From 1977 to this day, his journey has not stopped; the tide, or high flood of opportunity, has continued. In 1987, 1990, and 1991, he again identified and acted upon new tides in his life. Today, as we sit here, the Pathfinder Group – with over 12,000 employees and a presence in 71 cities and towns across Pakistan – is undoubtedly one of the country’s leading commercial organizations. These are the kinds of examples we must learn from. He built this company from scratch, and the challenges he faced at the time are known only to him. But he never gave up hope; he understood what needed to be done and pursued it with unwavering determination.
Now, your time at university, as I said, is like a tide – please understand that this is a crucial period in which you can either seize opportunities for learning, leadership, and growth or drift aimlessly and miss out on your potential. Seeing your performance, all of you from both universities, I know that you have already seized the opportunity. You have the potential, the skills, and a future full of promise. But please also remember that potential is just the starting point—it is not the end. What will turn this potential into reality is your determination. You must keep your strength up, stay steadfast, and hold firm to your work ethic. What are the ethics of your work? And what is your vision for the life you want to create? This is very important – your vision, your purpose, and your insight. To explain this, I want to share a profound saying by Mark Twain, one of the most celebrated writers, an American humorist, and author. He said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” As you grow up, get educated, and experience the world, a time must come when each one of you discovers the reason for your existence.
Everyone will arrive at their answer to this question, but once you find it and reflect on it seriously, nothing can stop you from achieving true success. And when I speak of success, I mean your contribution to society and your country. Yes, individual success will come, but real success lies in how you serve others and the nation. This powerful statement by Mark Twain emphasizes the significance of existence and self-discovery. It highlights the moment you uncover your true calling – the reason for your being – and serves as a reminder to seek meaning and live life intentionally
I emphasize another point: always be an optimist. I call myself an incorrigible optimist, and the reason I say this is that a true leader can never be a pessimist. If you study the lives of leaders – both ancient and contemporary – you will not find a single successful leader in any field who was pessimistic. Every one of them was optimistic, had a positive state of mind, and a positive mindset, and practiced positive thinking. This is extremely important, and history has repeatedly confirmed and verified this fact. Having a positive mindset is one of the most essential qualities of a true leader. Another crucial trait is that a true leader should never be prejudiced or biased.
Never harbor prejudice – whether it is related to ethnicity, language, religion, sect, nationality, or anything else – because prejudice causes the most damage to an individual’s personality. Without realizing it, one may end up being unsuccessful simply because of a rigid or biased mindset. Therefore, my advice to you is to consciously avoid prejudice, bias, rigidity, or bigotry. Unfortunately, bigotry is prevalent in many societies, including ours, but as future leaders, you must be mindful of this. I am reminded of a quote I read long ago: “The mind of the bigot is like the pupil ofthe eye; the lighter you shine on it, the more it contracts.” A leader can never be a bigot. This concept is further illustrated by a profound saying of Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous German philosopher, who said, “The snake which does not cast its skin must die. So too with the mind.” As you know, snakes shed their skin – some once a year, others multiple times. This is a powerful metaphor for lifelong learning, adaptability, and the courage to let go of outdated beliefs or habits. Like the snake, the human mind must also be willing to shed prejudices and evolve.
The last point I want to make is that you should read and learn about famous leaders by exploring their biographies and autobiographies – leaders like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore – a city-state that can be traversed from one end to the other in just an hour, along with his compatriots, transformed Singapore into an economic and knowledge powerhouse. Similarly, study the Chinese leaders of the Long March and the independence movement, such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping. One of my personal favorites, though not widely known, is General Vo Nguyen Giap of Vietnam, who is considered one of the greatest contemporary military strategists.
He fought against the Japanese occupation and defeated French colonial forces at the famous Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 – a decisive victory that broke the back of French colonialism in Indochina and led to the independence of Vietnam and other French-colonized countries in the region. General Giap remains relevant today, not only for his military brilliance but also for his qualities as a person, a human being, and a leader. I also recommend reading about the Algerian leaders of their war of independence from 1954 to 1962. Of course, one should never forget Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a leader of unimpeachable integrity and many others. One common mistake we make is limiting our study to only Western leaders. While many Western leaders were great, such as Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, it is important to recognize that Churchill, though a strong leader for Britain, was also a controversial figure. My advice to you, the younger generation, is to explore and learn from the wide range of global leaders I have mentioned, not just those from the West.
