Countering the growing menace of beggary.

Introduction

At traffic signals, markets, shrines and hospitals across Pakistan, beggars have become a familiar sight. Some are genuinely destitute; many are children, women and disabled people exploited by organised gangs. Beggary has even become an international embarrassment, with reports of Pakistani beggars being deported from Gulf countries. Countering this menace requires distinguishing need from exploitation: protecting the vulnerable while dismantling the business of begging.

Scale of the problem

There are no reliable national statistics, but estimates suggest that millions of people beg in Pakistan, concentrated in large cities. In 2023, officials told a Senate committee that a large share of beggars arrested in some Middle Eastern countries were Pakistanis travelling on pilgrimage or visit visas, and authorities have since stopped many suspected beggars at airports.

Causes

Poverty and lack of social protection. Unemployment, inflation, disability, old age and widowhood without family or state support push people to the streets.

Organised mafias. Gangs recruit, transport and control beggars, assign them locations, take most of their earnings and sometimes maim or drug children to gain sympathy.

Easy money and cultural acceptance. Begging can earn more than daily wage labour, and a generous public — motivated by religious charity — rewards it without checking need.

Weak enforcement. Laws such as the West Pakistan Vagrancy Ordinance (1958) are rarely enforced, and rehabilitation institutions are few.

Consequences

Children lose education and childhood and are exposed to abuse, drugs and crime. Organised begging overlaps with trafficking, theft and fraud. Genuine needy people are crowded out by professionals. The national image suffers, and a culture of dependence undermines the dignity of work.

Islamic perspective

Islam encourages charity but discourages begging. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand" (Bukhari), meaning that the giver is better than the receiver. When a man came begging, the Prophet ﷺ had him sell a possession, buy an axe and earn his living by gathering wood, telling him this was better than begging (Abu Dawud). Islam provides for the genuinely needy through zakat and the Bait-ul-Mal, so that no one is forced to beg.

Existing measures

The Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas provide cash to poor households; Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal runs shelters; provinces have child protection bureaus, such as Punjab's under the Destitute and Neglected Children Act; and the FIA has acted against those sending beggars abroad. But coordination is weak, rehabilitation is limited, and crackdowns are sporadic.

Counter-argument and balanced response

Some argue that beggars are victims of poverty and that punishing them is cruel. This is true for the genuinely destitute, who need help, not jail. But treating all beggars as victims ignores the mafias that profit from them. The right response is compassion for individuals and firmness against organisers.

Strategy

(i) Identify and register beggars through NADRA and social welfare departments, separating the genuinely needy from professionals. (ii) Rehabilitate: shelters, medical care, vocational training and microfinance (as Akhuwat offers), and enrol children in schools. (iii) Social protection: expand BISP, old-age pensions and disability support so that no one has to beg. (iv) Crack down on mafias: prosecute organisers and traffickers under anti-trafficking and child-protection laws. (v) Modernise laws and enforce them consistently. (vi) Public awareness: encourage people to give through institutions — zakat funds, mosques and trusted charities — rather than at signals. (vii) Coordination among federal and provincial agencies, police and NGOs, and action at airports to stop begging abroad.

Conclusion

Beggary is a mirror of social failure — of poverty, weak social protection and organised exploitation. It cannot be removed by force alone or by charity alone. Pakistan needs a combination of social protection for the needy, rehabilitation for those trapped in begging, and strict action against the gangs that profit from misery. Restoring dignity to the poor is both a religious duty and a national necessity.