One would suppose (and reasonably expect) that the intelligence agencies and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), particularly those in the vicinity, would have informed the government about the activities of the religious extremists running its administration and taken steps to prevent a potential catastrophe. Automatic weapons in the hands of the students of the Seminary should have been some cause for consternation, if not absolute alarm, given the proliferation of unlicensed weapons on blatant public display in Pakistan.

Unchecked by the LEAs the Seminary students eventually had to go berserk, evidenced not only by high-handedness with their neighbours but in expanding the sphere of Jamia Hafza-style vigilante-type justice, enforced mainly through squads of black Burqa-clad women bearing staves.

What this must have done for Pakistan's already battered imaged in the world is unimaginable! How come everyone in the corridors of governance was blind and deaf to this gathering storm? Will the Heads of all the institutions involved with national security have the character to accept responsibility for the bloody catastrophe and resign?

Or conversely, will the president hold them accountable and sack them? Or will we go on with life as usual, and sweep under the carpet the blood spilt unnecessarily. With priority given for anything and everything but national security, what can one expect from the agencies and LEAs concerned?

The blood of our soldiers sent a strong message to the world as to our commitment in the "war against terrorism." In very bloody and graphic detail the media exposure opened the eyes of the people of Pakistan to the sort of militant activity that goes on under the guise of education in some of the Madrassahs.

Most Madrassahs (almost 80% - 90%) are God-sent hostels for the children of the poor and poverty-stricken. Money for education of their children being a dream, the hapless, and destitute cannot afford to even feed them. We cannot condemn all Madrassahs, however several hundred (out of the 12000 or so known ones) are guilty of imparting military training to their wards and indoctrinating them with their disparate narrow religious beliefs, mostly militant.

While one would not like to (or is qualified to) comment on their beliefs, Islam does happen to be a religion of peace and not one of confrontation. There is no concept of militancy in Islam, the teaching of these Seminaries is only self-fulfilling in preaching hatred and violence.

Some of them are actually preaching class warfare based on economic inequality under the guise of religion, an attempt to ignite the social fabric in Pakistan and create bloody social upheaval in the streets. The tragedy is that this tragedy has evoked some reaction.

The talks that had gone on for more then 10 hours broke down at about 3:30 am on Tuesday July 10, the final phase of "Operation Silence" started at about 4:20 am soon after. Ostensibly both sides had approved the final draft of an agreement; the talks broke down when some changes were made.

Abdul Rashid Ghazi raised the subject of "safe passage" for "foreign militants," the first candid admission that they were present on the compound. The government decided not to wait any longer and gave the executive order to the Army to act.

The militants inside the compound were well armed and well trained, more importantly they were led by experienced and battle-hardened militants, with good knowledge of the tactics of fighting in built-up areas. As any combat soldier will tell you the most difficult operations is fighting in built-up areas, "close-quarter battle," CQB in army parlance.

The Shahadat of Lt Col Haroon al-Islam Commanding Officer Zarrar Battalion, SSG's Anti-Terrorist Unit, with three officers wounded, Maj Tariq critically, in a platoon-sized operation a few nights earlier, would suggest that terrorists had night-vision devices, certainly some militants were seen with gas masks.

The defenders had light infantry weapons, with Light Machine Guns (LMGs), Rocket Launchers, AK-47, Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs), hand grenades and hand-made petrol bombs (Molotov Cocktails). Plastic explosives and mines were used in great numbers to rig booby traps.

Spread over about 5000-6000 square yards the complex has about 75 rooms in 4 floors at one end (the southern part), with a virtual labyrinth of basements which was further interconnected by recently made tunnels, the presence of these tunnels confirmed the inhabitants expected violence and for some time, after all they were not digging them out by their fingers but had used sophisticated equipment.

The attacking forces had great difficulty flushing the terrorists out, particularly when they had to exercise strict control so as not to harm women and children being held as captives. Why stun grenades were used only and not nerve gas, even as a last resort, is not known.

Superbly led from the front by their officers and with the Kalma on their lips, Zarrar Battalion attacked from 3-4 directions, quickly gaining access to the roof and fanning out, taking control of most of the complex within 2-3 hours of intense fighting.

About 40-50 militants were killed in the initial thrust and another 50 or so captured, freeing over 24 children initially, and later a group of another 27 women and 3 children.

Among those killed on the first day were three officers and about 5 troopers; the final death toll is yet to be known. Throughout our history our young officers (YOs) have shown outstanding leadership under fire. Regretfully those who send such men to their deaths while keeping out of harm's way themselves have never heard a shot being fired in anger, and if they claim otherwise they are blatant liars.

By mid-morning the remaining militants had retreated according to a well thought out plan into the basement (and the tunnels linking them) as a last redoubt, using women and children as a human shield. The fortifications were known to be formidable and well-sited, the interlinking tunnels turned out to be far more sophisticated than planned for. The mopping-up has taken time.

For six nights, the residents of Islamabad stayed awake because of the gunfire and bomb blasts. It is abundantly clear the foreign militants present prevented Abdul Rashid Ghazi from surrendering.

As quiet descended on the shattered buildings, smoldering fires still burnt, the effect of battle leaving virtual devastation in an enclave where God's name was invoked for confrontation rather than for peace.

Because of the proliferation of booby troops and mines, army engineers have made teams to defuse them. This de-using/defusing is a slow, painstaking process. What about the lessons learnt from this tragedy, what about criminal neglect that led to this bloody trauma that the people of Pakistan, and more particularly those of Islamabad, had to go through?

"Operation Silence" opened with a deafening bang, why is the silence still deafening?

Ikram Sehgal is an eminent Pakistani political analyst and columnist.