The siege of the Lal Mosque in July 2007 was a turning point for Pakistan, after which the Taliban launched one of the most violent campaigns in the country's history. That campaign has once again intensified in the last few months. Today Pakistan's Interior Ministry said 1,842 terrorist incidents had occurred Pakistan since January 2008, an average of five per day. The ministry did not detail exactly what was included in the tally.
Aziz, arrested just before the siege while trying to escape the mosque in a burqa, was released on Thursday after making a deal with the government, according to Ijaz ul Haq, the former Minister for Religious Affairs and Minorities. Ul Haq, who has appeared publicly alongside Aziz, was a member of the negotiating team that failed to prevent the siege.","publishedDate":"2009-03-01T17:47:41Z","contributors":[{"name":"ABC News","url":"","role":"","logo":"","logoAlt":""}],"authorsStr":"ABC News","modifiedDate":"2009-04-17T14:59:02Z","section":"Blotter","wordCount":395,"relatedTags":{"heading":"Related Topics","tags":[]},"lead":{"ratio":"16x9","disableForMobile":false,"type":"xl","mediaType":"image","alignCaptionToBody":true},"ads":{"Sticky":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"RightRail":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"InlineBox":{},"InlineOutstream":{"disabled":false},"Taboola":{"position":"bottom","pageType":"article","config":{"network":"abcnews-abcnews","mode":"thumbnails-a","container":"taboola-below-article-thumbnails","type":"article","targetType":"mix","placement":"Below Article Thumbnails"}}},"featuredVideo":null,"featuredImage":{},"dateline":"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
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