Shadow of authoritarianism

IT is a desperate move that may bring down the entire edifice. The plan to ban the most popular political party in the country is the most senseless, self-destructive action the government can take. It is nothing short of hara-kiri. Whether or not the decision is implemented, its very announcement has jolted the foundations of the existing political power structure. The ruling coalition is already in tatters.

It was quite a spectacle as a frothing, fumbling federal information minister announced the decision not only to ban the PTI...