Pakistani commandos have declared an end to the eight-day siege of Islamic rebels at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, but are refusing access to parents of hostages searching for their loved ones.

Fighting between soldiers and the remaining band of Islamist militants ended this afternoon, 35-hours after troops launched an assault on the maze-like compound.

It is unclear how many were killed during the operation, but the army confirmed that at least 50 had died during the first wave of violence yesterday. Despite assurances from Shaukat Aziz, the Pakistani Prime Minister, there are fears that the bodies of further women and children will be found in the buildings.

Zahid Hussain, Islamabad Correspondent for The Times, said there are dozens of families looking for children and relatives thought to have been inside the mosque.

“There is still a big question mark about how many people were in there when the attack began,” he said.

“Generally it is thought that at least 300 to 400 people were inside yesterday, some estimates went as high as 1,800, but that is unlikely. Parents are still looking for relatives on lists at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, no one has been allowed inside the compound.”

The raid on the mosque was one of the largest crackdowns on Islamic militants since General Musharraf staged a coup in 1999. Many radical Muslims have been angered by the President's co-operation with Washington since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the firebrand cleric leading the radical Islamist stand-off, was among those shot dead yesterday. He took control of the militants after his elder brother, the chief prayer leader, was caught trying to escape wearing a burka.

Many of the men holding out against the Pakistani army were veterans of fighting in Afghanistan and Kashmir. They were inside the mosque for over a week along with clerics and an unknown number of women and children hostages.

The Prime Minister said 27 women and three children who emerged from the mosque yesterday were the last hostages.

“The major group of women was all together and came out all together,” said Mr Aziz. “I think it’s already ended. Now it’s mopping up. Everybody who was inside is out.”

The mosque has been sealed off since the fighting ended, while the army searched for mines, booby traps and other weaponry left by the militants.

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