Addressing foreign journalists in London, Imran Khan, was critical of the recent military action on the besieged mosque in Islamabad; he says the move will further radicalise Pakistan society. A few hours before, the politician and former Pakistan cricket captain, spoke to the Foreign Press Association in London, Pakistan forces moved on the Red Mosque in Islamabad.

Imran Khan said "I think this attack is going to further radicalise our society, this will embolden the extremists, they will treat all these people who have been killed in this attack as martyrs and, as we all know, martyrs are emulated. This is a classic case of where dialogue and political dealings should have solved the issue and, especially in the first week, it should have been easily solved, it’s a classic case where the whole thing has been bungled up.”

Those inside the mosque had been campaigning for Sharia law, reacting against what they saw as a government policy of pulling down mosques. Turning to more global issues, Imran rejected the suggestion that the origins of terrorism or extremism may lie in religious fundamentalism.

"Terrorism is always political, the root of terrorism is always political, 9/11 was because of Arab-Israeli issues, 7/7 (in London) was because of the invasion of Iraq, what is happening in Pakistan is directly linked to what is happening in Afghanistan. The solution does not lie in religion, this is the big fallacy going on as if Madrasas are a problem.”

Imran also emphasised the importance of democratic structures and free and fair elections as a further counter to terrorism.