Pakistan banned the Taleban on Monday after they claimed responsibility for one of the country's worst-ever terrorist attacks, toughening its stance a week after US ally Pervez Musharraf was ousted from power. The Interior Ministry announced the decision 24 hours after rejecting a Taleban cease-fire offer in Bajur, a rumored hiding place for Osama Bin Laden where an army offensive has reportedly killed hundreds in recent weeks. Another 200,000 people have fled their homes. “This organization is a terrorist organization and created mayhem against public life,” ministry chief Rehman Malik said in announcing the ban on Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, an umbrella group for militants along the Afghan border. Anyone aiding a proscribed organization - through financial assistance, promoting them in literature or in other ways - can be jailed for up to 10 years under Pakistan's anti
