Islamabad
Like every year in Ramazan, Islamabad’s residential areas, streets and markets are swarmed by the beggars of all age groups and gender taking benefit of the overall environment of generosity and charity during the holy month.
Beggars knocking at the doors in the middle of the afternoon or stuck to the car window parked in any market is a routine these days but the matter of concern is the increasing number of teenage girls as beggars on street.
“Baji we are very poor and my mother is not well so we sisters beg on streets,” said Asma, a young girl at one of the F 10 intersection. Her body language was not supporting the miserable situation she was trying to describe. When asked whether men give better alms or the women, her answer was as expected. “Men are more generous,” she said.
Asma said that she is from Faisalabad and lives in suburbs of the capital. “I can take you to my place so that you can see my ailing mother,” she proposed knowing that I would never agree to visit her place. “No one gives me job,” she said when inquired whether they have tried to work. As the red light turned green, Asma ran towards other girls standing in the corner laughing and giggling.
It is not only girls, but children, women with infants who mysteriously sleep in their laps all day, well dressed men, eunuchs and even young boys are found demanding charity in one way or the other. They find this town of the high and the mighty a virtual goldmine. Be it a marketplace, a busy intersection, a mosque, a hospital or any other spot elsewhere, the beggars are proving to be a big irritant for almost everyone with their persistent yet innovative begging methods.
The professional beggars, however, are great nuisance for the people because of their excessive pestering and leave a person with no choice but to dish out a coin or two to get rid of them.
Begging in the name of selling is one art, especially the religious booklets, that has been perfected by the beggars who continue to use it with flair. It has long been in vogue for it leaves one guilty if one refuses to buy them or does not give away a fiver or something.
But with time things seem to have changed and quite emphatically so with the beggars bringing into play new ways that would leave even the stonehearted in tears, so effectively they are able to blackmail people emotionally.
Perhaps one of the newest tricks to befool people into giving alms is the doctor’s prescription, which a beggar, at times reasonably dressed, would wave at one claiming it to be that of an ailing relative in hospital. “He’s dying and I urgently need to buy the drugs,” is the line commonly used to extract money by these beggars who operate either outside hospitals or drug stores.
This manner of operation has proven to be quite successful, for often more money is forthcoming because of the ‘human angle’ involved and also for the reason that the people who do give out money have their own near or dear one in hospital.
While hundreds of beggars operate in the markets and areas where there is lot of activity, there are many others who opt to go from door to do door asking for Zakat in a threatening tone. “I wish I will have enough money one day then I will tell you how you give Zakat. Be afraid of Allah’s anger,” said one such stranger to the scribe when given Rs100 in Zakat.
Another specialised professional beggars are those little children who keep banging at your car window until they are given some money. Instead of being at school, these innocent little souls are on busy roads asking for alms. If you tell them off, they will switch their demand and start asking for things other than money. “Then buy me samosa or ice cream,” they will say.
When contacted, the Chairperson National Child Protection Center (NCPC) Yousaf Shah agreed that such children, especially girls, are at high risk of exploitation. In an interaction with The News, the children received by NCPC in past have shared their stories of exploitation ranging from abuse to violence they suffer at the hands of general public as well as their operators.
Yousaf Shah told ‘The News’ that they have not received any child beggar from police department in last few days. He said that Police department especially deputed units Mujahid One and Mujahid Two for picking such children from streets and bringing them under the custody of NCPC but both these units are not operational these days.