CHITRAL: It has become so difficult to stop one’s car in a market area or on a traffic signal without immediately being surrounded by beggars of a all hue and shades. The street beggars aggressively demand money (as if you owe it to them) and if one hands them a note of Rs 10 or 20, they tacitly express their disapproval over it. In some instances the beggars have thrown back the low domination currency notes back at the person saying “you can keep it yourself”.

The culture of beggary in Pakistan, top down, in one form or the other, is not new but there has been a marked increase seen in street beggary in the past few years. As it is the easiest way to collect money from people in cars and around shopping malls, more and more unscrupulous Pakistanis are being attracted towards it.. Organised mafias who deploy and mange beggars at vantage points and  lucrative junctions are known to all, and some even have a tacit understanding with the police.

PM Khan is very much vocal about emulating the model of ‘Riasat e Madina’. A very basic and easy step the government can take is to check beggary effectively as it is against the spirit of the state of Madina concept. The ‘Shelter houses that have supposedly been set up across the country can be used to house these beggars and food be provided to them as per the “Madina ki riasat may koi bhooka na Soye” slogan.

Eradicating street beggary from the cities is a very easy task provided the government has the will to do it..  CN report, 10 May 2021