Baat darasal yea hay kay ... who one is and how one looks at things.
Before 2000 (pre-Musharraf period), Pakistan was a paradise state for corrupts, crooks, thugs, thieves, looters, plunderers, characterless and pariah of society. It was an era where people like Nawaz, Zardari and their 100s of thieves became billionaires and millionaires, regardless of what majority of Pakistanis were going through. These people were taking loans in the name of Pakistan and were filling their bank accounts and buying assets all over the world. This situation is considered by majority of honest people as condition of being failed state, though obviously, corrupts would not agree to it, as for them it was days of plenty.
Between 1999 and 2008, corrupts had bad time and it was failed state for these people. But then, for most Pakistanis, it was era of prosperity, progress, development and well bring. I know many Pakistanis who use to send me CVs before 2000 so that I could find them job in west started inviting me to Pakistan and telling me how good it has become. I also know many Pakistanis who migrated out of Pakistan during pre-2000 cursed years returned to Pakistan attracted with economical boom in Pakistan, and never regretted until now, when they are feeling sick. It was period when Pakistan became so proud of itself that Pakistan told IMF to get lost (2004) and stopped taking grants and loans from world institutions at concessional rates (known as AID). It was days when Pakistani leaders like Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz use to tell west that we do not want AID but we want trade. It was period that Pakistani debt papers were getting oversubscribed and people were willing to trust Pakistani government with their money at very low interest.
Anyhow, 2008 brought new era when we saw old corrupts and crooks back in the country. There entrance is so unwelcoming that most investors started running out of Pakistan as if they have seen Devil in Pakistan, a government similar to pre-Musharraf period. Within few months, Pakistan has started to see similar economical condition what Pakistan had before 2000, a condition described as being verge of failed state again, and that means, dancing and singing time of corrupts have started again.
So the only qualifier for "failed state" is that looters/thugs are in the government? Failure of law enforcement has nothing to do with that? Failure of providing security has nothing to do? Failure to provide basic services like "electricity" has nothing to do? Come'on Sa1eem bhai, in the hate for PML-N/Nawaz don't get blinded, thanks.