BEGGING is big business in the metropolitan cities like Lahore and Karachi. According to a report, there are more than 130,000 beggars in Karachi and 300,000 beggars come from other cities every year before the holy month of Ramazan. Not only that these beggars descend on Lahore and Karachi but they also fly out to neighbouring countries for begging, thus tarnishing our image abroad and creating difficulties for the ordinary Pakistanis working abroad.
These professional beggars are helped by agents and others who are not doing a service to the country by helping these beggars and undermining our image abroad. The average income of a beggar is estimated to be Rs.1000 -3000 per day. The beggars found standing at the city’s traffic signals, irritate the passersby. The other places that top the list are the shopping centres in the city. It is a great effort for anyone going to a shopping centre to reach his or her desired shop through the number of beggars that rush towards every stopping car with such aggression as if they are not asking for alms but some long overdue debt owed to them by the people.
An interesting fact is that the richest beggar in the world lives in India. He is Bharat Jain, dubbed the world’s richest beggar and has amassed a fortune of 7.5 crore rupees through begging in Mumbai. He earns 60,000-75,000 monthly, owns two apartments and rents out shops. He has accumulated this wealth by begging for the last 40 years on the streets of Mumbai. Those who are truly in need and keep themselves away from streets usually have a small percentage compared to the number of professional beggars that in many cases are controlled by criminal gangs who receive the majority share of the day’s proceedings.
It is these gangs that are in many cases involved in child snatching and kidnapping. This is the most heinous crime as what they are doing is taking away a well-settled child from a comfortable and safe environment and forcing him or her into beggary and living in inhuman conditions just so they could profit from the child. It is a great responsibility of the law enforcing agencies to wipe out the beggar mafia and not only give us some peace when we stop at red lights but expose the heinous crimes behind begging.
The government must take decisive action to dismantle organized begging networks while providing support to those genuinely in need. Stricter laws, rehabilitation centres and vocational training can help reduce dependency on beggary. Public awareness campaigns should discourage giving alms to professional beggars, as this fuels exploitative networks. Law enforcement must actively target child trafficking and forced begging, ensuring those responsible face severe consequences. Additionally, welfare programs should focus on uplifting the poor through education and employment opportunities. A coordinated effort between authorities, civil society and the public is crucial to eradicating this menace and restoring dignity to vulnerable individuals.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
(jsiddiqui134@gmail.com)
