Panhandlers running amok in the city

KARACHI

As in previous years, Karachi's residents are seeing a surge in professional beggars during Ramazan. Unfortunately, authorities have failed to stop them, leaving citizens feeling helpless and vulnerable to exploitation by organised begging groups, commonly known as the 'beggar mafia'.

The city administration claims to arrest beggars daily from different parts of the city. According to spokesperson of the Commissioner Karachi, Sattar Javed, concerned police regularly arrest the beggars from the city. "Some 55 beggars were arrested from different parts of the city during first two weeks of the March", he added.

However, many citizens view the police crackdown as mere window dressing. Abdul Rehman, a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, expressed skepticism, saying he reads about such efforts every year, but sees no real change on the ground. "Every Ramazan, professional beggars flood the city without any hindrance," he said in an interview with the Express Tribune during a visit to Saddar. As someone who travels across the city daily, Abdul Rehman claimed he has never witnessed police arresting beggars anywhere.

Social activist Mahmood Alam Khalid doubts if the police can arrest the large number of beggars, citing a lack of will and capacity to detain them. He estimates that over 300,000 beggars flock to the city during Ramazan, in addition to the 100,000 who regularly beg on the streets. "Is it realistic to expect our police to arrest such a massive number of beggars?" he questioned.

Interestingly, a prison officer at city's Central Prison disclosed that even the few beggars who are arrested are not actually jailed. Speaking to the Express Tribune on condition of anonymity, the officer said that the prison typically holds only one or two beggars at a time. He added that most arrested beggars never make it to the prison, implying that they are released shortly after their arrest.

On other hand the Punjab government has taken extra ordinary steps to tackle the increased number of beggars in its big cities like Lahore and Faisalabad. The provincial government has reportedly set up special barracks for beggars in major prisons, aiming to accommodate the large number of beggars in custody.

However, Karachi, the country's largest city and a hub for beggars, lacks such facilities in its prisons. Senior Superintendent of Central Prison Karachi Abdul Karim Abbasi confirmed the absence of separate barracks for beggars. In a conversation with the Express Tribune, he stated that they can make necessary arrangements if directed by the government.