Britain moves to ban Pakistani Taliban
By IANSTuesday, January 18, 2011
LONDON - The British government has moved to ban the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist group, making it illegal to become its member or raise funds for it in Britain.
The move to proscribe the group was a “tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism”, Home Secretary Theresa May was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
Membership of the TTP would become a criminal offence and the organisation would not be able to raise funds or lawfully operate in Britain, she said.
May said: “I have laid an order which will proscribe Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
“Proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism and is not a course of action we take lightly.”
During the worst floods in Pakistan’s history last year, the Pakistan Taliban, an umbrella group of militants based in North and South Waziristan, hinted it may launch attacks against foreign flood relief workers in the country, saying their presence was “unacceptable”.
Pakistan Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq claimed that the US and other countries were not really focused on providing aid to flood victims, but had other “intentions” which he did not specify, the daily said.
