Pakistan is a state party to seven core human rights treaties which makes it obligatory for the country to domesticate these treaties. The country on its way to ensure compliance with these treaties, particularly under the EU’s GSP+ scheme, has introduced numerous reforms at federal as well as provincial levels. It involves, among others, human rights action Planning and strengthening of the national human rights system.
In follow up of these developments, provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have also introduced policies to ensure human rights protection at sub-national levels as well as endeavoring to strengthen the human rights policy delivery institution. Given that human rights bodies play an integral role in implementing human rights agendas in provinces. This paper reviews the human rights bodies’ structures and systems both in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhws provinces and provides a unique assessment of what makes (or doesn’t make) policies work on the ground.