Fawad's arrest.

Just what has been gained by the government from the arrest of Fawad Chaudhry, one of the PTI's most visible leaders, is anybody's guess. All it seems to have accomplished is turned him into an instant hero for PTI's support base.

The ugliness that played out all day yesterday on national television has also provided a fillip to the PTI's narrative about being persecuted by the government at the centre, as well as the newly installed caretaker regime in Punjab. The Election Commission, too, has walked itself right back into the thick of controversy when it should have been focusing on preparing for elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The case against Mr Chaudhry, lodged by the ECP secretary, accuses him of 'threatening' the electoral body's members and its families. The charges registered in the FIR include criminal intimidation, making a statement conducing to mischief, promoting enmity between groups, and sedition.

Of particular concern is the latter charge - that Mr Chaudhry has committed sedition with his words. It was unclear at the time these lines were being written what...