KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the Attorney General of Pakistan and other respondents on a petition challenging the 40% tax on sanitary pads.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry and Justice Jafar Raza, heard the petition filed by Alisha Shabbir and directed all parties to file their replies within two weeks.
The petitioner argued that heavy government taxes on raw materials for sanitary pads have made them unaffordable for millions of women and girls.
He maintained that, according to articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution, every citizen has the right to health and life.
The petition seeks the inclusion of sanitary napkins as essential items and requests exemption from the Sales Tax Act, 1990.
It also proposes that raw materials for sanitary napkins be included in the Eighth Schedule to ensure that tax relief benefits reach consumers effectively.
The petitioner further highlighted that classifying sanitary napkins as “non-essential” and levying high taxes on them constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.
The court granted the request for notification and set a two-week deadline for the defendants and the Attorney General to respond.
