Prime Minister John Key does not understand the history of Afghanistan, says former cricketer and Pakistani politician Imran Khan.
While Khan is known to many New Zealanders as the captain of Pakistan's 1992 Cricket World Cup winning team, opinions polls suggest he may be elected the next prime minister of Pakistan.
Speaking to TVNZ's Q+A programme from London, Khan responded to Key's justification for committing SAS troops, given two years ago, that without troops, control would be ceded to the Taliban and "in more probability more terrorist attacks will be planned".
"The New Zealand Prime Minister does not understand Afghanistan," Khan told Guyon Espiner.
"If only he had read the history of Afghanistan. The British fought three wars in Afghanistan the Russians killed a million Afghans."
"A million died and they were fighting more at the end than at the beginning."
He believes that there is no military solution to the turmoil, only a political solution.
"They are not fighting an army, they are fighting militants who are being supported by the population, that's why they are going to lose the war."
Discussing Khan's comments, Q+A panellist Dr Claire Robinson from Massey University said that as a Pakistani politician, Khan's message is very much directed towards a domestic audience.
"He is currently polling as the most popular leader in Pakistan, the current president is only polling at 11% and Imran is between 60-80%."
Khan's platform is twofold, said Robinson, with his image as a "clean politician".
"That seems to be something that [Pakistani voters] really support with corruption in Pakistan."
It's also an anti-American vote she said.
"They're really cross at the amount of money that has been coming in [to the military]. America's double-crossing them, they feel, in terms of Osama bin Laden, and just being able to walk into their country and take him."
"It's about internal politics, it's about his own leadership ambitions, and he's saying the right things for his internal audience."
No fear of death
While Khan achieved an impressive record playing for the Pakistani cricket team between 1971 to 1992, his political career has been less stellar.
His party was founded in 1996, but had little success in general elections in 1997 and 2002.
His lack of success soon earned him the moniker 'Imran Khan't'.
However Khan may be on track to become the next prime minister of Pakistan; he scored a 68% approval rating in a June Pew Research Center poll, against the current prime minster Yousaf Raza Gillani's 37% favourability.
He's just released this book about his journey from international cricket star to the world of Pakistani politics - with its history of corruption, violence and assassination.
Espiner asked him in the interview whether he fears for his life in his home country.
"I only went when I lost complete fear of death or overcame the fear of death because if you are scared of dying you don't go into Pakistani politics," Khan said.
