The federal government has officially listed the Pakistani Taliban as a terrorist organization.

The group, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, operates from northwest Pakistan in the mountainous tribal regions along the Afghanistan border.

Its stated objectives include resistance to Pakistan's government, enforcement of its harsh interpretation of Shariah law, and a plan to unite forces against NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said listing the Pakistani Taliban as a terrorist group was part of a "global effort to crack down on terrorism wherever we find it."

The group has claimed responsibility for many suicide attacks in Pakistan and on a CIA base in Afghanistan, as well as the attempted bombing of New York's Times Square in May 2010.

"Our decision will enhance the security and safety of Canadians," Baird said, noting the group's previous targets.

The United States and the United Kingdom already include the group on their list of terrorist organizations, Baird noted.

"Obviously, our Charter, our Criminal Code operates differently than they do," the minister said, explaining the delay in Canada's decision. "We took the time to ensure that we had met the threshold so it could survive any legal challenge and are comfortable to do so today."

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said earlier the threat of terrorism is "real, persistent, and evolving" and that authorities must "remain vigilant in confronting it."

The minister called the listing under Canada's Criminal Code an essential part of Canada's efforts to combat terrorism and "keep our communities safe."

He said the Pakistani Taliban meets the legal threshold, which requires reasonable grounds to believe it has "knowingly participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity or is knowingly acting on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with such an entity."

The listing enables authorities to prosecute supporters of terrorism and plays a key role in countering the financing of terrorist activities.

For example, the listing prohibits people in Canada, as well as every Canadian abroad, from knowingly dealing with assets owned or controlled by the Pakistani Taliban.

Baird told reporters that the listing will force financial institutions to review their accounts and report any suspicious assets to CSIS and the RCMP.

It is also an offence to knowingly participate in, contribute to, or facilitate certain activities of a listed entity. Other related offences are set out in the Criminal Code.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan joins 43 other terrorist entities on Canada's list.

The Pakistani Taliban is not directly affiliated with the original Afghan Taliban, which controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, sheltered al-Qaida terrorists and supported terrorist training.

Several years ago, Mullah Omar, leader of the Afghan Taliban, asked Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to support the war in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Taliban leaders agreed to put aside their differences to help counter increasing numbers of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. They reaffirmed their allegiance to Mullah Omar and to Osama bin Laden.

The group has almost exclusively targeted elements of the Pakistani state, though its leaders said in April 2010 they would make U.S. cities a "main target" in response to U.S. drone strikes across the Afghan-Pakistan border.

In August 2009, a missile strike from a suspected U.S. drone killed Baitullah Mehsud, a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader who commanded about 5,000 fighters and is said to have been behind numerous attacks, including the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The group said the December 2009 attack on the CIA's Camp Chapman in eastern Afghanistan, which killed seven CIA operatives, was in retaliation for Mehsud's death.

with files from CBC News