Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May introduced the order, which needs legislative approval, in parliament on Monday and it will be debated later this week. – Reuters (File Photo)

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is the group most influenced by al Qaeda and is the main militant alliance based in northwestern Pakistan, focusing on attacking the Pakistani state, which it considers illegitimate.

Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May introduced the order, which needs legislative approval, in parliament on Monday and it will be debated later this week. The order would ban Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan under the British Terrorism Act.

“Proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism and is not a course of action we take lightly,” said a statement from May whose order states she believes the group “is concerned in terrorism”.

“Proscription means that membership of Tehrik-e-Taliban will become a criminal offence, and the organisation will not be able to lawfully operate in the UK, including by raising funds.”

Last year, the group threatened attacks on the United States and Europe.

It also claimed responsibility for an attack last July in Mohmand, a region on Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan which killed 102 people and wounded at least 80.

Last October, a Pakistani intelligence official said a British man killed by a US drone strike in Pakistan had ties with a Pakistani-born US citizen who tried to set off a car bomb in New York's busy Times Square in May.

The official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters the Briton, Abdul Jabbar, had also been in the process of setting up a branch for the Taliban in Britain.

Forty-six groups considered by Britain to be international terrorist organisations are banned under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...