Professional beggars in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have started lining up in the local markets and roadsides before Ramadan to collect alms that they get with sympathies of people.
With the advent of the holy month, groups of beggars mostly women, children and old men, have crowded the markets, shopping malls, signals and streets for grabbing money which people give as charity.
According to shoppers in markets, these beggars use new tactics to gain people’s attention in the name of religion.
“The concept of beggary is now emerged as a business as mostly the general public believes that inability of authorities concerned to control beggars reflects that there is a strong mafia behind the beggars,” said a resident of Commercial Market Rawalpindi.
Instead of getting donations from people, their constant forceful tactics some times create nuisance for general public who feel attacked by their offensive behaviour. The beggars start annoying people from 6th Road Chowk while their groups continue to chase people in Commercial Market.
“The interruption of beggars becomes unbearable while shopping in the Commercial Market and main markets of federal capital as their common tactics create nuisance,” said Rehana Khalid, a resident.
A group of women carrying infants, a young man with a bandaged arm, middle-aged men showing disabilities, barefoot child, she-males and others selling low quality products, are the most common kinds of beggars.
“These beggars sometimes create an awkward situation by holding arms of people and forcing them to give money at any cost and when they are refused, they use offensive or abusive language,” said a shopkeeper.
