Pakistan · Policy intelligence
Trafficking, Smuggling & Migration Governance
Legal, policy, institutional and referral frameworks mapped across 79 years of national development.
From the colonial-era criminal code to the 2026–2030 national strategies: every law, rule, institution, plan and referral mechanism that shapes how Pakistan governs trafficking in persons (TIP), smuggling of migrants (SOM) and migration.
The framework in numbers
Instruments mapped
Laws, rules, institutions, plans, SOPs and referral mechanisms.
Trafficking in persons
Instruments linked to TIP prevention, protection and prosecution.
Smuggling of migrants
Instruments linked to SOM investigation, enforcement and cooperation.
Migration governance
Instruments covering movement, recruitment, welfare and borders.
Instruments can belong to more than one domain, so the domain figures overlap and should not be added together.
Evolution at a glance
From general criminal law to specialised protection.
Pakistan’s policy architecture has moved from border and emigration control toward distinct TIP, SOM and victim-centred frameworks. Select a phase to see its instruments.
Policy explorer
Legal & institutional landscape.
Search the full timeline or filter by domain, legal form, lead custodian, jurisdiction, status and historical phase.
Source: Pakistan Migration Policy Atlas, updated August 2026. Each record links to its primary source; confirm the current text of any instrument with the issuing authority.
Three connected domains
Distinct in law. Connected in practice.
Trafficking, migrant smuggling and migration are kept analytically separate, while showing where protection and governance systems overlap.
Irregular migration is not automatically trafficking.
A smuggled migrant may later become a trafficking victim if exploitation occurs and the legal elements are established. Migration status alone does not determine victimhood.
Implementation crosses levels of government.
Linked instruments by institution group, as mapped by the Pakistan Migration Policy Atlas.