TIMES REPORT
QUETTA: Provincial Minister for Education Ms. Raheela Hameed Durrani has reaffirmed the provincial government’s resolute commitment to ensuring the health, dignity, and well-being of women and girls across Balochistan through decisive legislative action. She shared these views while chairing a high-level consultative meeting held here to strategize a joint assembly resolution aimed at Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) tax reforms.
The consultative session, hosted by the MHM Working Group (MHHWG) Secretariat Balochistan, in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan, witnessed robust participation from key policymakers, executive authorities, and international development partners. Besides others, the meeting was attended by Member National Assembly (MNA) Akhtar Bibi, Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) Rehmat Saleh Baloch and Khair Jan, Chairperson of the Balochistan Revenue Authority (BRA) Abdullah Khan, UNICEF representatives Ms. Falak Naz and Ms. Shazia Nazir, Head of World Food Programme (WFP) Balochistan Dr. Faria Ahsan, and Head of UN Women Balochistan Ms. Ayesha Wadood.
Speaking on the occasion, MPA Rehmat Saleh Baloch expressed his complete support for the initiative, stressing that removing financial barriers to basic health necessities is a shared legislative responsibility that demands immediate cross-party consensus.
Chairperson of the MHM Working Group, Dr. Tahira Kamal Baloch, thanked the parliamentarians, government officials, and UNICEF for their unified stance. Briefing the forum on the core agenda, she underscored that alleviating the economic burden on marginalized communities by reducing or abolishing taxes on essential women’s health products is a critical public health priority. She emphasized that the groundwork has been laid, and it now requires urgent legislative translation to protect vulnerable populations.
Adding an administrative perspective, Chairperson BRA Abdullah Khan shared insights on the fiscal mechanisms involved, expressing readiness to review the proposed tax exemptions within the provincial revenue framework to facilitate this vital social intervention. Senior Policy Advocacy Advisor Shafqat Aziz shared the journey of the broader advocacy campaign. He outlined the technical contours of the proposed resolution, detailing the socio-economic dividends of the targeted tax reforms and the strategic roadmap for navigating the assembly’s procedures.
MHHWG Secretariat Provincial Manager Shahana Tabassum informed the participants about the ongoing collaborative process and operational framework, acknowledging the critical technical support provided by all development partners in advancing the policy agenda.
The proposed joint resolution aims to secure either a 50 percent reduction or a total abolition of provincial taxes on essential MHH products, a move designed to make these necessities affordable and accessible to the most vulnerable segments of society. Moving forward, participants agreed to expedite the legislative drafting process, with lawmakers pledging to take ownership and table the resolution in the Balochistan Assembly, setting a strong precedent for women-centric policy reforms in the region.
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