IN Pakistan, most ministries are being run de facto by special assistants to the prime minister. These members are unelected and do not represent the people but are appointed by the prime minister to advise him on various sectors of the country such as IT, information, power, accountability, etc. The role of special assistants has often been criticised by the media, opposition politicians and even the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The criticism is based on the concern that these people since they did not secure the public’s votes do not have a constituency to worry about and are not accountable in the same way that elected members of parliament are.