Petition filed in SHC against heavy taxes on sanitary napkins

KARACHI: A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) challenging the imposition of heavy taxes on sanitary napkins, arguing that such essential hygiene products should be treated as basic necessity items and exempted from high taxation, ARY News reported.

The court, led by Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, issued notices to all concerned parties, including the Attorney General of Pakistan, seeking responses within two weeks.

Petitioner Alisha Shabbir contended that sanitary napkins are vital for women’s health and must be categorized as basic necessities to make them affordable and accessible.

The plea stated that the raw materials used in manufacturing sanitary products should also be placed under the Eighth Schedule to ensure tax benefits directly reach consumers.

The petition further argued that imposing high sales tax on essential hygiene products deprives women of their constitutional rights to health and dignity, as guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan.

Advocate Farhatullah Yaseen, representing the petitioner, said that since sanitary napkins are not classified as essential commodities, they are subjected to higher taxes and duties. He urged that these products be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, to grant them tax exemption.

The SHC bench has directed the relevant authorities to submit their replies within two weeks.

In other news, the Sindh High Court (SHC) declared all commercial activities in public parks and playgrounds across Karachi illegal.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Faisal Kamal Alam and Justice Muhammad Hasan Akber issued a detailed verdict in response to a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), challenging the commercial use of public parks by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

The petition was filed by Advocate Saifuddin, the opposition leader in the City Council, along with the chairmen of nine Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs) — New Karachi, Liaquatabad, Gulberg, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Model Colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Jinnah, and Landhi — as well as a member of the City Council.