While giving credit to Pakistan’s military for its diplomatic manoeuvring, Kausikan said external achievements could not compensate for internal weaknesses.
Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan has sharply criticised Pakistan’s political leadership and state institutions, saying the country has been “teetering on the brink of failure” for years because of poor governance, economic mismanagement and the unchecked rise of extremist groups.
Speaking at the National Press Foundation’s International Reporting Fellowship, Kausikan rejected the suggestion that Pakistan’s geographical location was the main reason behind its problems. Responding to a question from a Pakistani journalist, he argued that the country’s challenges were rooted in decades of poor governance rather than geography.
“That’s just an excuse. The fact is that Pakistan, from the very beginning, has been mismanaged terribly,” he said.
Kausikan also took aim at both the military establishment and the civilian political class, saying the country’s governance crisis could not be blamed on a single institution.
“The military is both part of the problem and what holds the country together. Your civilian politicians are a waste of time, all of them, regardless of party,” he remarked.
Kausikan served as Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013 and currently chairs the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.
Recalls 1991 Singapore Airlines Hijacking
Drawing on a personal experience, Kausikan referred to the hijacking of a Singapore Airlines aircraft by Pakistani militants in March 1991 to illustrate what he described as Pakistan’s feudal political culture.
He claimed the hijackers wanted to speak with former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was no longer in office and was staying in Sindh at the time.
According to Kausikan, he contacted Bhutto’s residence in the early hours of the morning with the assistance of Pakistan’s High Commissioner. Despite repeatedly explaining that the hijackers had threatened to begin killing passengers unless they were allowed to speak with Bhutto, he said his request was refused.
“I explained this to the person three times,” Kausikan recalled.
He said the reply he received was: “Madam is sleeping, cannot be disturbed,” before the call was abruptly ended.
Singapore’s security forces later launched an operation to retake the aircraft, killing all four hijackers and rescuing every passenger and crew member unharmed.
“We still do not know and we’ll never know what they really wanted because they’re all dead,” he said.
Kausikan said the incident reflected what he viewed as the deeply feudal nature of Pakistan’s society.
‘Pakistan’s Problems Are Much Deeper’
During the discussion, another journalist highlighted Pakistan’s domestic challenges, including high inflation, rising fuel prices and deteriorating law and order.
Kausikan acknowledged that Pakistan had recently achieved some diplomatic success but argued that such gains did little to address the country’s underlying problems.
“Pakistan was very agile and very successful in taking advantage of a diplomatic opportunity. But that doesn’t feed the Pakistani people,” he said.
He added that Pakistan’s fundamental issues remained unresolved.
“Pakistan is a state that is teetering on the brink of failure and has been for some time. It hasn’t quite fallen over, for which we should all be grateful, but that diplomatic success doesn’t change that fundamental reality,” he said.
‘Diplomatic Success Cannot Replace Reforms’
While giving credit to Pakistan’s military for its diplomatic manoeuvring, Kausikan said external achievements could not compensate for internal weaknesses.
“Pakistan’s problems are not diplomatic; Pakistan’s problems are much more fundamental within Pakistan,” he said.
He identified economic mismanagement and the unchecked growth of jihadist groups as key reasons behind the country’s instability.
“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 warned.
