Pakistan, Oct. 24 -- For once, Pakistan's state has spoken with a single, coherent voice. The federal government's formal ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), following the Punjab government's decisive crackdown, signals an overdue realignment in the country's relationship with violent religio-political power.

It is a moment that belongs as much to the writ of the Constitution as to the courage of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, whose administration convinced the federation to act where previous governments had folded.

What had begun as a so-called "solidarity march for Gaza" earlier this month swiftly mutated into violent street warfare. Roads were blocked, state property torched, and policemen martyred. That commentators w...