The Shining Path was defined as a terrorist group by the Peruvian government because the group

The Shining Path used violence and intimidation to advance its political aims, including attacks on civilians and government targets. That deliberate use of cruelty to achieve political goals is what made the group terrorist. Destroying property, drug trafficking, and kidnapping may be crimes, but they do not capture the central reason given here.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.