With the first week of Ramzan closing in, the city is once again proving to be a paradise for beggars as they go around fleecing citizens.
According to a rough estimate, 0.6 million beggars are there in Karachi. This number is expected to increase by mid Ramzan. It’s not an unusual sight to see beggars with deformities, young children perched on footpaths or in the laps of women and quite a few able bodied men going around asking for money. Under the Lunacy Act, the beggars should be arrested and put behind bars. Similarly, under the Child Act, no one is allowed to force or use a child for begging. Though these laws exist on paper, it seems that there is no one there to implement them.
According to a survey conducted by this scribe, everyday 600 to 800 people arrive in the city through rail and road links and start working as beggars. A senior police officer, on the condition of anonymity said, “The beggar mafia brings these people in the city in collusion with the police. The mafia pays a huge amount per month to the area SHOs all over. These beggars are found on all major roads, foot paths, parks, mosques and grave yards.”
Tariq Road, Burns Road, Clifton, Defence, North Nazimabad, Federal B Area and Gulistan-e-Jauhar are some of the areas where these beggars can be seen working actively. The mafia has a complete hold on these beggars and places them at major markets where spot rates are high. No beggar can occupy a spot if he is not associated with the beggar mafia.
Most of the beggars can be found lounging under bridges and flyovers since these spots are cooler and shaded and hence saves them from the harsh sunlight. Beneath the flyovers, the beggars can be seen cooking, bathing and sleeping. Earlier, the community wardens conducted an operation against the beggars but now, with Ramzan underway, no action is being taken.
Most of the beggars hail from different parts of the country. It is worth noting that an estimated 0.1 million flood victims from Sindh have been provided shelter at various camps in Karachi. The beggars this scribe spoke with claimed to be flood victims and expressed deep concern about the damages in their areas. They claimed that their lands and villages have been washed away and they have nothing left and hence the turned to begging.
Farqir Malah from Mir Pur Sakro is living opposite the National Museum Pakistan. Talking this scribe, the beggar said, “This is a very good city. Yaha kaam karay baghair khana aur kapra milta haay (here we get food and clothes without working).” Malah said that he came to Karachi on the first day of Ramzan and started begging. “I am free from all worries. My family gets to eat all kinds of food and can have the iftar that is being served on the roads,” he said. As for their water and bathing needs, he informed that he gets water from nearby homes for their daily needs.
A young girl, Rehmat Bibi reluctantly agreed to talk to this scribe. She said that she arrived in Karachi before Ramzan with her entire family and all of them are now begging in different parts of the city. “I was a pauper before coming to this city. Now I have food and clothing. Also, money is not an issue. I provide loose change to the shopkeepers and make a good amount with this business,” she said. Talking about her begging business, Bibi said that the people in Karachi were very generous as they did not hesitate when it came to giving money be it fifty or hundred rupees. “At times, we get even larger amounts of money but there are times when we get little,” she added.
