Key facts
- Ex-Singapore diplomat warned Pakistan is 'teetering on the brink of failure'
- Said Pakistan's own military, not India, is a big part of its problems
- Recalled being told 'Madam is sleeping' when he called Bhutto's office during 1991 hijack
- Remarks reported by NDTV and The Times of India
A former Singapore diplomat has delivered a strikingly candid assessment of Pakistan, warning that the country is 'teetering on the brink of failure' and arguing that its own military establishment — not India — constitutes a large part of its problem. The remarks, reported by NDTV and The Times of India, have attracted significant attention for coming from a seasoned foreign envoy with no obvious political axe to grind.
The diplomat also recounted a striking anecdote from a 1991 aircraft hijacking involving a flight connected to Pakistan, during which he called Benazir Bhutto's office to alert her to the crisis. The response he received — 'Madam is sleeping' — became emblematic, in his telling, of the dysfunction and detachment he observed in Pakistani governance over the years.
The broader thrust of his remarks aligns with an increasingly prominent body of external commentary suggesting that Pakistan's recurring crises — economic instability, political turmoil, and militant threats — stem substantially from the outsized role its military plays in civilian affairs, squeezing out democratic governance and distorting economic priorities.
For Indian readers, the comments are notable precisely because they come not from New Delhi but from Singapore, a country regarded as a fair-minded observer of South Asian affairs. The assessment challenges Pakistan's long-standing diplomatic posture of framing India as the root cause of its security challenges, lending external credibility to a critique that has grown louder among Pakistan's own civil society voices.