Canada on Tuesday blacklisted the dysfunctional Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, describing it as a terrorist organisation. The US had called the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) last year. Joining the US on Tuesday, Canada said TTP is a terrorist group, as per the criminal code of Canada. “Fighting terrorism is one of the most important challenges faced by the nation. The threat is real, persistent, and evolving.
We remain vigilant in confronting it,” Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said. “Blacklisting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an organisation which claimed responsibility for multiple suicide attacks in Pakistan and the attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City in May 2010, is an essential part of our efforts to combat terrorism and keep our communities safe,” the minister said. In Canada, the TTP is suspected to be plotters of the bombings plan when three Canadian Muslims were arrested with huge quantities of circuit boards to trigger improvised explosive devices, drawings and videos. Operating mostly from the federally administered tribal area (FATA), the TTP is working against the Pakistani government’s support to the US-led forces in Afghanistan and drone attacks inside Pakistan.