Pakistan is a state that is teetering on the brink of failure, and has been for sometime, according to former Singaporean diplomat Bilahari Kausikan.
Speaking of the poverty-stricken nation, Kausikan bluntly underlined that Pakistan’s problem is not India or Afghanistan, but its own politicians and the military.ย
Kausikan was a veteran diplomat who previously served as Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary from 2010 to 2013 and the chairperson of the Middle East Institute, an autonomous institute of the National University of Singapore.ย
‘If you had no nuclear weapons, nobody would care’
The seasoned diplomat challenged Pakistanโs image as a stable international actor, highlighting the deep-seated instability, radicalism, and crushing economic failures facing the nation.
“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,โ he said, while talking about Pakistanโs role in the mediation efforts during the US-Iran war.
โBut you know, that doesn’t feed the Pakistani people,” the former envoy added, implying the deep economic crisis in the country.
In a sharp analysis, the seasoned diplomat stated that the current global attention towards the state is purely driven by international anxiety.
The statement comes at a time when the Pakistani government has repeatedly prided itself on its geopolitical achievements, including its proximity to the GOP, as innocent civilians continue to suffer from deep-rooted poverty and radicalism.
On Islamabadโs proximity to US
While talking of Islamabadโs โallegedโ close relations with the Trump administration in the US, Kausikan explained how the core outlook of Islamabad remains the same for Washington.
“It hasn’t quite fallen over for which we should all be grateful, but that diplomatic success doesn’t change that fundamental reality. And I don’t think the US is going to lift whatever restrictions in totality it has on Pakistan, because the fact is Pakistan is a hotbed of all kinds of strange groups that are not necessarily working for US interests,” Kausikan explained.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration took the significant step of halting immigrant visa processing indefinitely for citizens of Pakistan, further reflecting Washington’s hardening stance.
‘Pakistan is a state that is teetering on the brink of failure’
When a Pakistani journalist at the conference suggested that border tensions with India and Afghanistan were to blame for Islamabad’s crises, Kausikan firmly rejected the victim card.
โThat is an excuse. Pakistan has been mismanaged from the beginning. I donโt see any solution. Its politicians are a waste of time, all of them, regardless of parties, and the military is a big part of the problem,” he added.
Written by Bhavye Dhalla. Bhavye Dhalla is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.