Twin cities plagued by professional beggars
Although it is a well-established fact that Pakistanis are one of the most charitable people in the world and give as much as they can in the form of donations to charities, hospitals, schools and deprived communities they are those who take advantage of their largesse and have made it a profession to prey on citizens for their money.
Like most developing countries Pakistan is also plagued with the curse of beggary in all its cities where beggars abound in the streets seeking alms from people.
The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have their due share of this menace so much so that the patience of residents is wearing thin now and they are demanding of the authorities to rein in these supplicants who harass people at every nook and cranny of the city. According to reports, it has been observed that mostly elderly women beggars are seen in twin cities using different tactics to seek alms from the people.
A woman describing the modus operandi of the street beggars said some of them display physical deformities, while some carry emaciated babies to prey on the sympathy of citizens.
Sultan Khan, a resident of G-7 said that most of these women are professional beggars who come in groups and then scatter over the city.
"There are also organised gangs who deploy child beggars in crowded and ideal spots like bus stops, traffic signals, and markets, and many raids have been conducted against them in the past," he said.
He demanded that the govt take adequate steps to rehabilitate these poor people.
He suggested that shelter homes with legal protection should be given to women beggars and they must be engaged in some productive work depending on their limited skills. Beggary was a social evil which needs to be nipped in the bud. Moreover being the capital it presents a negative image to foreigners and diplomats working in the capital. He added that a healthy environment is conducive to a developing society and there was a need for stringent laws to combat beggary.
When contacted a Federal Ombudsman official Khalid Sayal said, "We have prepared a report in which we have recommended some necessary steps for their rehabilitation including shelters and security for them".
There were some more steps in the pipeline for their betterment, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2021.