Karachi's relationship with politics has always been a little complicated.

Naziha Syed Ali in her piece today points out that voting patterns in Karachi in the past three elections have shown high levels of voter indifference: 63 per cent of registered voters in 2002, 53pc in 2008 and 51pc in 2013 did not even bother to cast their ballot ─ probably due to indifference or powerlessness in the face of the MQM juggernaut blamed for massive rigging in each of these polls.

Although the PTI's inroads into Karachi in 2013 appeared to have made a dent in the MQM and PPP-dominated status quo, conversations with residents and experts reveal there is discontent with the party and a general impression that the PTI has not paid attention to the country's largest city since the last election.

What has happened to the tsunami in the city by the sea? This time around, the fervour is noticeably absent. In the eyes of the urban voter, beset with multiple problems arising from a decrepit infrastructure and appalling service delivery, the PTI addressed none of their core concerns. To them, dharnas in Islamabad and “35 punctures” were irrelevant; it only confirmed that post elections, Karachi had become an afterthought for the PTI.

But several analysts have pointed out that Imran Khan's decision to contest from Karachi's NA-243 constituency could be an ace up its sleeve, since no one else of his stature is in the running for the seat ─ this seems to be its big plan to capitalise on Karachi's votes.

Read the complete report here.