Also IK comes across as too aggressive (and perhaps rude or arrogant) to the biradri-type people, like raising his bat in jalsas etc. Our conservative masses prefer someone humble and folksy like the Sharif brothers
As I said in another thread IK needs to tone down his language.
Even if IK had taken MQM head on, I am not sure how PTI candidates could have done well with all the tamasha and rigging that went on there