There is a knock on the car window. Three female beggars stand outside, hands outstretched – a common sight at traffic signals throughout the city. The lady inside reaches into her purse to give them Rs 50. As she rolls down the window, she is suddenly faced with a knife. Under the threat of violence or even death, she hands over not just 50 rupees, but all of her cash and even the jewelry she wears.
This incident, which took place recently at Link Road, Faisal Town is just one example of the increasingly desperate measures beggars are taking to elicit money from passerby.
With the advent of the month of Ramadan, thousands of beggars have flocked to markets, malls and other public spaces in the city, becoming an increasingly urgent problem for the whole city to deal with.
The sister of the woman who was robbed, Nasira, told Pakistan Today that the incident has made her scared of beggars everywhere. She said that whenever she stops at traffic signals now, she rolls up all the windows so that no one can force themselves inside.
Her sister, the woman who was robbed, refused to file an FIR despite her family’s urgings, Nasira said. She said it was useless, because she believed the police were also involved with beggars in the city.
Reports have said that beggars gather an average of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per day, and it seems the police have failed to stop the ‘beggar mafia’.
Women and children who are seen begging are reportedly assigned duties to different areas of the city and even given targets for Eid by their masters.
As Eid-ul-Fitar approaches, these beggars can usually be seen at traffic signals. When traffic stops, they swarm the roads and begin begging, demanding Eidi and Zakat from people in cars or on motorbikes. If they are refused, they often demand money over and over again until the person is so irritated that they relent.
The police, reportedly, take no action against them, and beggars even come to them for money on the streets.
A citizen named Asif told Pakistan Today that in the month of Ramadan, beggars increase their numbers and even adopt new tactics. For example, he said, a woman carrying a small child might come in front of a car and put the child on the front mirror. Then, if she is not paid, she will start cursing the passengers, scaring them into giving her money.
Asif added that nowadays, beggars refuse to take five rupee coins and often demand more. Even when one is given money to satisfy them, an entire group will see and start knocking on the mirror of the car as well.
Asif said that the police officials standing at the signals should take action against beggars, and the Punjab Inspector General should take notice of the problem.
Nawaz Sharif should learn from these beggars.He insteAd of showing knife turns his other cheek to the US and KSA WHEN BEGGING.
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