Karachi elite is the worst spokesperson for the woes for this city. Anyone who has read up a bit on Karachi's history knows that it doesn't need people to speak for this city because it's history is very well documented and acknowledged by all.

Starting from the eve of partition, when the first immigrants came and setup makeshift dwellings on open grounds at the heart of this city, we all know how Karachi has had a unique trajectory of problematic ties with the central governing structures that were hijacked day one.

What most of us living here complain about is the physical environment we live in, that is limited to the boundaries of this city. However, Karachi the economic entity extends far and wide into the country and the region.

Therefore, it is not just the residents that have a stake in its viability. But the brunt of bad governance is borne by those living here. In that sense, people have legitimate grievances that arise from a well founded sense of alienation but not expressed properly.

It is therefore all the more urgent to understand how government of cities should work. On what matters do citizens have legitimate rights and how those rights should be exercised. What are the sources of grievances both of Karachi-Sindh and Karachi-Center kinds.

Just putting this out there so that the conversation doesn't get bogged down by ethnocentric or even the reduced form of elite-masses binary arguments. Don't want to discount class but the conversation right now is a very reduced appearance-centered one.