The number of child beggars and alms seekers has increased manifold in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during the holy month of Ramazan according to a news report. The people of the two cities demanded strict actions against those who were involved in child begging and alms seeking.
A citizen namely Muhammad Ashfaq said that alms seekers sometimes became a constant nuisance specially in Iftar time at traffic signals and alleged that no one was taking action against the professional begging. Similarly, another citizen, Muhammad Imran said that professional child begging was a serious problem in society as minors were involved in beseeching and imploring the citizens especially in markets in Ramazan.
He said that when people tried to ignore them, they cursed or abused the people and escaped.
When contacted to ICT spokesman, Dr Abdullah Tabassum, he said that the ICT administration continuously conducted raids against the child begging. In recent action, Assistant Commissioner for Rural Areas Kamran Saeed has initiated an operation to curb professional beggars in the Federal Capital.
During the visit, seven beggars were apprehended and identified as professional beggars. All of them were promptly transferred to police custody, while minors among them were directed to the Edhi Centre for appropriate care.
Furthermore, Assistant Commissioner City Farhan Ahmad conducted raids at F-6, F-7, Blue Area, Nadra Office, D-Watson, and nearby localities and arrested 22 professional beggars.
Acknowledgement: Published in Dawn News on 21st March 2024.
