The crisis sees women waking up early, cooking quickly, rearranging meals and planning days around the prospect of gas.


The crisis sees women waking up early, cooking quickly, rearranging meals and planning days around the prospect of gas.

Sanitary pads in Pakistan carry up to 40 percent taxes. That amounts to punishing women, say critics – for being women.
![Mahnoor Omer wants Pakistan to scrap taxes on sanitary pads, which add 40 percent to their costs [Photo courtesy Mahnoor Omer]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ahsan-and-mahnoor-1761274561.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Pain. Betrayal. Nightmares. For thousands of Pakistani women, genital mutilation is a reality rarely talked about.
![Aalia, an FGM survivor from Pakistan's Dawoodi Bohra community, who still grapples with a sense of betrayal [Courtesy Aaliya/Al Jazeera]](/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Aaliya-1735539683.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)