The Complex Street Beggar Issue in Pakistan

Street begging in Pakistan was at its peak. Due to poverty, Pakistan was suffering from that social cause, which had forced many people to commit suicide. Many women had sold their children and those children were forced to leave their homes, so that they could start begging at an early age. As the poverty rate was high in Pakistan, it become difficult for a person to survive as large number of people were living their life below the belt. Due to which it was considered, that begging was turned into a profession where one could earn more money than a normal person who believes in hard work (Haroon, 2011).

There were thousands of pan holder and they were found at every public place. Almost on every signal, they were present, so that when the car stops, they could knock on the car window and ask for money. Their existence was everywhere, especially in Lahore and Karachi, where mostly professional beggars were seen. They were so many in numbers, so it become difficult to identify who was the real needy among them. Group of children were there, who tried to surround and stop cars, asking people for Masjid fund.

It had become a complex issue and the reason behind it was the increase in number of beggars, which were seen on the road. Mostly children were there asking for money, as they presented themselves as innocent and needy, and one cannot resist giving money to them. If someone ignored them, they started to stare or abuse people. It becomes hard to deal with them, as it was difficult to find who was legit and who was not (Khan, 2017).

In Pakistan, mostly people gave money on religious basis and they thought that they were doing some great work by helping others. A shop owner, Muhammad Akhtar who was living in Lahore believed that money should not be given to the beggars as they misuse them by satisfying their own need and involve themselves into drugs or become gamblers. While some people think, that it was the holy duty to give alms to the beggars. Mostly women were the one, who thought beggars as a blessing and feel contented in giving charity to the beggars.

They thought that there charitable spirit would help people who were begging because they were in need. One women said that she and her husband tried not to give money to young beggars; instead, they preferred to help an old man, as he was unable to work and has to support his entire family. People had different mindsets on mendicancy and they justify it by helping different kind of beggars (alhumdullilah).

Beggars were a common sight in Pakistan. The people living in a specific society or area would be less in number as compared to the pan holders, which were wandering on the streets. The most preferable place for beggars were traffic signals or congested streets. They were found outside the worship places. With the passing of time, interruption of beggars was becoming a daily phenomenon. Bare foot children knock on the window of cars, asking for money.