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Summary
Britain has moved to ban the Pakistani Taliban as a terrorist group, making it illegal to belong to or raise funds for the organisation in Britain, the government said on Tuesday.Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is the group most influenced by al Qaeda and is the main militant alliance based in northwestern Pakistan, focussing on attacking the Pakistani state, which it considers illegitimate.Home Secretary 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 Tehreek-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.
