Residents of twin cities demand strict action against professional beggars

Islamabad: Residents of twin cities demanded the authorities concerned to take strict action against professional women beggars as they were seen lined up in every market of the twin cities.

According to them mostly elderly women beggars were on rise in twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad using different tactics to seek alms from the people. A citizen Sabiha said that they use different tactics for begging like bandaged arms and showing disabilities with barefooted children to get sympathies of people.

Sultan Khan a resident of G-7 said that most of these women were professional beggars and they come in groups and then scattered for alms seeking. There were also organized gangs who deploy child beggars in lucrative spots like bus stops, traffic signals and markets and many raids have been conducted against them in the past, he said. He called for taking necessary and rehabilitative steps in this regard.

He suggested that shelters homes with legal protection should be given to women beggars and there must be work done on their little entrepreneur skills. Beggary was a social evil which needs urgent measures to be tackled, he said.

He said that for healthy environment in society there was need of stringent laws to combat with beggary problem. As a citizen we should discourage beggars and encourage them to do some work, he added. When contacted a Federal Ombudsman official Khalid Sayal said "we have prepared a report in which we have recommended some necessary steps for their rehabilitation including shelters and security for them". There were some more steps in pipeline for their betterment, he added.