Menstruation is a biological reality for nearly half of Pakistan’s population, yet menstrual products are still taxed as luxury goods. This unjust taxation regime inflates prices, pushes products out of reach, and perpetuates gender inequality. Mahwari Justice is running an on-ground campaign to change that. 

In Writ Petition No. 2700 of 2025, Mahnoor Omer v. Federation of Pakistan, now pending before the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench), this discriminatory taxation has been formally challenged as unconstitutional, violative of dignity, and a barrier to equality. 

Period Poverty in Pakistan

In Pakistan, 33 million women experience immense difficulty in accessing proper menstrual hygiene facilities, including adequate sanitation and affordable, sustainable menstrual products. Less than 20% of women use sanitary pads, owing to extremely high costs. Despite nearly half of the population being menstruators, the costs are significant:

• Sanitary napkin prices range from PKR 80 to 250, averaging around 165. Typically, a woman uses 1.5 packs per cycle, costing PKR 247.5 per month.
• Over her lifetime, this amounts to a significant expenditure of PKR 112,860 on sanitary pads alone, not accounting for inflation or potential tax increases.
• Additionally, women often use Buscopan for period pain relief, costing about PKR 40 per pack. This leads to an average lifetime expense of PKR 18,240 on painkillers.
• Moreover, the inevitable damage to underwear during periods adds to the cost, with an average pair costing PKR 250 and resulting in a lifetime expense of PKR 114,000.
• Though heating pads are less common, hot water bottles are used as an alternative, with a woman likely using around 8 bottles in her lifetime for PKR 350 each, totaling PKR 2,800.
• Furthermore, dealing with skin issues during PMS adds to the burden, with an estimated annual cost of PKR 5,000 for treatments, accumulating to PKR 190,000 over a lifetime.
• Altogether, these expenses amount to PKR 437,900, beyond the reach of many Pakistani women.

This cost barrier is not an accident. It is the direct result of state policy that treats sanitary pads as taxable non-essentials.

Consequences of Period Poverty

Education: 1 in 5 girls misses school during menstruation, amounting to an entire academic year lost over adolescence.
Health: Unsafe alternatives double the risk of infections and long-term reproductive health complications.
Dignity: Taboos mean 49% of girls don’t even know about menstruation before their first period. Embarrassment at purchasing pads from male shopkeepers further isolates women and girls.

By taxing period products, the government is effectively penalizing women for a natural biological function 

Legal Action: Mahnoor Omer v. Federation of Pakistan

In September 2025, the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) held the first hearing of WP 2700/2025. The issue of maintainability was persuasively advanced by the petitioner’s counsel, High Court Advocate Ahsan Jehangir Khan. The honourable judges, Justice Jawad Hassan and Justice Malik Muhammad Awais Khalid, issued notices to the Respondents and the Attorney General of Pakistan to respond within two weeks to the legal questions raised.

This is a crucial breakthrough: the Court has formally recognized that the petition raises serious constitutional issues about women’s rights, equality, and dignity. 

The petition argues that:

• Taxing sanitary products violates Articles 9, 14, 25, and 38 of the Constitution.
• It is a form of indirect gender discrimination, placing a disproportionate financial burden on women.
• International law, including Pakistan’s obligations under CEDAW, requires eliminating barriers to women’s healthcare.
• Many countries (including the UK, India, Colombia, Nepal, and Australia) have already abolished these taxes.

This case has the potential to set a historic precedent for women’s rights in Pakistan.

Mahwari Justice

Mahwari Justice is a period rights organisation that was founded in the aftermath of the 2022 floods to shed light and work on the issue of period poverty during disasters. We raised more than $50,000 lead a successful nationwide campaign with the help of 300+ volunteers from Pakistan and supplied period relief to over 150,000 flood affectees,  forever transforming how periods are seen and talked about in this Pakistan. 

Beyond the provision of immediate period relief, we also work on period education. We have made comics, toolkits and even rap songs to make learning about menstruation more fun and impactful. Currently we are working on making period education to blind and disabled kids. 

We have received 2024 Diana Award and 2023 Global Championship Award for our work. 

Call to Action

This petition demands that the Pakistani government:

• Remove the luxury tax on menstrual products.
• Subsidize period products to make them accessible to all.
• Introduce free menstrual products in all schools.
• Recognize menstrual products as essential items

Pakistan cannot continue to profit from a natural bodily process over which women have no control. By taxing menstruation, the state entrenches period poverty and denies millions of girls and women their rights.

The courts are now listening. At the first hearing of WP 2700/2025, notices have been issued to the Government and the Attorney General and we can see that momentum is building.

But the fight will only succeed if we raise our voices together.

Sign this petition to support Mahnoor Omer v. Federation of Pakistan (WP 2700/2025)  and demand dignity, equality, and justice for all women in Pakistan.

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