A former senior Singaporean diplomat has sharply criticised Pakistan, describing it as a country "teetering on the brink of failure." Bilahari Kausikan, who served as Permanent Secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013, blamed Pakistan's political leadership and military for the country's deep-rooted problems and declining condition.
Pakistan's Problems Are 'Self-Inflicted'
Speaking at a global conference, Kausikan rejected the claim that Pakistan's geographical location was the main reason for its problems. Responding to a Pakistani journalist who argued that Islamabad's challenges stem from its borders with India and Afghanistan, Kausikan said the country's troubles were largely caused by its own leadership.
“You cannot blame location on everything. That's an excuse. Pakistan has been mismanaged terribly since the beginning. Its politicians are a waste of time, all of them, regardless of parties, and the military is a big part of the problem,” Kausikan remarked.
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1991 Singapore Airlines Hijacking
He also recalled an incident from the 1991 Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117 hijacking, saying his experience with former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto reflected the country's deep-rooted governance issues. The aircraft, carrying 114 passengers and 11 crew members, was hijacked by four Pakistani terrorists shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. It was later landed at Singapore's Changi Airport. At the time, Kausikan was part of the Singapore foreign service team handling negotiations with the hijackers.
'Madam Is Sleeping'
Kausikan said the hijackers wanted to speak to Bhutto, who was out of power at the time, while Nawaz Sharif was Pakistan's Prime Minister. He managed to obtain the contact details of Bhutto's residence through Pakistan's High Commissioner. However, when he finally reached the residence around 3 am, he was told Bhutto could not be disturbed.
"It was my duty, as in the team, to try and get in touch with her... Once I got through to her house, I had to find somebody who spoke something other than Urdu. None in our team could speak Urdu. I finally got somebody who could speak English," he said. After explaining the situation, the person on the phone replied, "Madam is sleeping and cannot be disturbed” and he ended the call.
"We never quite knew what was their demand, except that they wanted to talk to Benazir Bhutto, who was then out of power," he recalled. After negotiations failed, Singapore commandos stormed the aircraft, killed all four hijackers and safely rescued all passengers and crew. Later reports suggested the hijackers wanted Bhutto to help secure the release of several prisoners in Pakistan.
'Pakistan On The Brink Of Failure' Says Kausikan
Speaking at a session titled "On Keeping Perspective in Volatile Geopolitical Times," Kausikan said Pakistan's problems go far beyond diplomacy. "I'll be very blunt. Pakistan was very agile and very successful in taking advantage of a diplomatic opportunity, and that has gone some way to rehabilitate Pakistan diplomatically in the eyes of the US anyway. But, you know, that doesn't feed the Pakistani people," Kausikan stated.
The former diplomat also criticised Pakistan's military establishment and economic management. "Pakistani military was very agile and very successful, that you have to give them credit, but diplomatic success doesn't feed people--that's the hard reality. Pakistan's problems are not diplomatic; Pakistan's problems are much more fundamental within Pakistan. Mismanagement of the economy, letting various jihadist movements get out of hand--if you don't fix those problems, you're always going to be teetering on the brink of state failure," he said.
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