Benazir, who was twice Pakistan's leader in the 1990s, said the operation had "drawn a line in the sand" and said that while it "was an unfortunate incident ... I am grateful there was no policy of appeasement."

"It is the end of ambiguous policies towards terrorism, which have encouraged militants.

Some 11 soldiers and 75 people, mainly militants, inside the mosque complex, were killed during the raid on Islamabad's Red Mosque, which ended a months-long standoff with the mosque's followers who wanted the imposition of sharia law in Pakistan.

The exiled former leader said that questions had to be asked of how the mosque had become radicalised, and said that other mosques and religious schools around the country should be probed.

"How was this madrasa able to develop in that way? There must have been some collusion (with the government)," she was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.

On the subject of reaching a political deal with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to allow her to return to the country and contest elections, she said negotiations were "in a log-jam".

"We are saying that a power-sharing agreement is a subsequent issue. First, we must resolve the nature of the elections."