That Karachi is a cry choked out as its saga of crumbling infrastructure continues is no new news. Broken roads, chronic water shortage and stinking piles of garbage as its residents are getting drowned in their sewage rivulets; there has clearly been a governance problem for far too long. In the seemingly neverending season of neglect, it was heartening to finally see some cracks in the frosty relationship Islamabad enjoys with the Sindh government. Seeing CM Murad Ali Shah receive the prime minister on his recent trip to Karachi was a pleasant surprise. Going by his public statements, PM Khan is taking a particular interest in mending bridges with the provincial government. Karachiites’ welfare is the new buzzword as the centre is visibly extending an olive branch (Rs 1.1 trillion development package and Karachi Comprehensive Coastal Development Zone). Markedly different from the blood bath of the early pandemic days when Islamabad and Karachi held no punches in their ugly war of words. It is no secret that calling a sitting chief minister a “puppet” was a grave lack of (political) judgement but one should not forget that this tension runs much, much deeper than administrative insecurities. Wasn’t it Mr Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who first vitiated the parliamentary decorum with his “selected” jibe? If CM Shah’s hurried defence of Sindh not “shar(ing” powers with anyone” hinted of a battle royal, so did PMO’s blunt comparison of Sindh to Moenjodaro. The last three years have only seen the two headquarters tirelessly upping the blame game while hapless Karachiites remain silent spectators to this Homeric exchange. Now that the KCR’s revival is in full swing, the port city might get its miracle. Neglect reigns supreme in urban and rural areas that have supported both bat and arrow. The much-touted promise to uphaul the city’s shambolic drainage system, for instance, remains just that: a promise. Only when the tiring tug-of-war is done with, can its myriad of problems be considered. We can only hope for sanity to prevail this time. There remain many a bone to pick, which have put an effective hold on any and all development. Since the PTI is realising its responsibility towards a city that gave it an overwhelming 14 seats in the National Assembly, it might think better of the restricted flow of funds. However, Bilawal and Co. are expected to behave just as sagaciously. Like it or lump it, they have been ruling Sindh–a province– for over a decade. And provinces cannot act as entities of their own. Keeping channels open is the only key to improve its odds in the governance department. *