Not Elite Capture but Capture by Colonial-made Elite

Elite, a concept as random, subjective, and multifarious in theory, and as widely heard or debated in the public discourse, has gained prominence in public consciousness over many years. The concept alludes to several related concepts, including but not limited to, capture, in-group, control, power, authority, extraction, and transactions. With the equivocalness of the related concept- Elite Capture, several materials have been produced in the context of Pakistan, including one of the PIDE’s knowledge briefs[1] in which an attempt was made to explain who the elites are, what they do, who the elites in Pakistan are, and what they capture (if they do). The current piece is an attempt to further deepen the discussion on the inevitability of elites, who are the gatekeeping and meritocratic elites, whether is meritocracy an alternative to elite capture in Pakistan and the linkage between colonialism and the elite state.