BEGGING AS A PROFESSION

BEGGING AS A PROFESSION

Pakistani beggars - Its causes, a wide spread profession, half heated anti-beggar campaign, ignorance and emotion of the people - Provisions should be made for the blind and dumb - Conclusion.

The Pakistani beggar is not a pauper but a well-paid professional. We often hear of dead beggars who have left thousands of rupees behind them. Beggary is an offense in Pakistan as it is in every other civilized country. Yet here it is allowed to be a thriving profession. We see beggars every-where. We see them in narrow, streets, public highways, outside luxurious hotels, on railway platforms, inside trains, outside mosques, in front of law courts. We see them singly or in groups. There are a1l sorts of them ugly, diseased, deformed, blind, deaf-mute, lame, leprous. They area horrible sight. Why are these lawless people allowed to move about freely? Why is no effort made to stop them from being a public nuisance and danger? There are three reasons.

First, beggary is a very well-organized and wide-spread profession. It evil far too big for any ordinary remedy. It cannot be removed easily. The most cunning criminal brains are behind it. Among beggars there are thieves, robbers, kidnappers, spies, killers, and so on. They are not afraid of the law. The law shuts its eyes to them. They carry on their activities efficiently and fearlessly.

Secondly, the municipal, police and government authorities are not- quite determined in their anti-beggar campaign. They just put up notices and stick up posters and issue warnings to alms-givers., They appear to be weak, helpless and inactive.

Thirdly, the people are ignorant, emotional and superstitious. They do not understand the dangers of giving-alms to beggars. The more wretched a beggar looks, the bigger the alms. No wonder the beggars try to look most wretched. They kidnap infants, make them blind, and deform them. They receive generous alms through these poor babies or kids.

There will always be people in all communities who will have to depend upon others for their maintenance. These people are the blind, the dumb and otherwise disabled unfortunates. But in a well ordered society, they will not to be left to beg. They will be given self-respecting jobs by adequate training for independent earning.

Begging cannot be removed overnight. It requires time, patience and wise leadership.