PESHAWAR
\nThe last night rain has turned weather cold in Peshawar where rush of buyers were witnesed mostly in garments markets with swarms of beggars that annoyed customers on Sunday.
\nThe beggars have tried hard to cash the situation after witnessing an increase of buyers at Dean\u2019s Trade Centre, Karimpura, Qissa Khwani, University Road and others famous bazaars of wollen garments flooded with customers.
\nInspite of begging has been declared illegal under the country\u2019s laws, the beggars\u2019 influx including male, female, children and persons with disabilities are being witnessed in crossing points, mosques\u2019 gates and mostly frequented public places and food outlets in the city and cantonment areas, making shopping difficult.
\nHashtnagri, Gantagar, Firdus, Nothia, Tehkal, Gulbahar, Faqirabad, Meena Bazaar, Karimpura, Shafi Market, Saddar Road, University Town, City Tower, Jawad Tower and Deans Trade Centre were flooded with beggars.
\nOccupied key points in front of shopping malls, mosques, road signals, bus terminals, railway stations, traffic squares and streets, the professional beggars used different indecent techniques to get maximum alms.
\n\u201cI came from Wapda Town Nowshera to buy woolen garments for my family and faced difficulty in shopping due to swarm of beggars,\u201d said Shaheen Bibi, a house wife while talking to APP.
\nShe said some beggars roaming with exposed wounds keep on holding and touching customers when they come out of their vehicles, which could expose them to contiguous diseases and viral infections.
\nMost professional beggars employ various tricks to exploit human nature and religious sentiments by crying, weeping and chasing people in public places while wearing miserable attire.
\nThe unchecked trained beggars are pestering shoppers in markets or running after them or behind their cars to collect maximum alms in name of Sadqa and Khairat.
\nIt has been witnessed that some beggars were emotionally blackmailing people by carrying medical prescriptions and disability certificates.
\nCharity seekers can also be seen in city markets asking money in the name of construction of mosques while many beggars were resorting to lame-duck excuses like seeking treatment of their ailing family or lost jobs.
\n\u201cBegging has emerged as a major social evil in recent years to the nuisance of Peshawarties,\u201d Professor Dr Muhamnad Naeem of Swabi University who was irritated by beggars during shopping at Qissa Khwani bazaar Peshawar, told APP on Sunday.
\nHe said one of the reason of increased in beggars was price hike and inflation in the country. He said the last year devastated floods have also contributed to increase in inflation.
\nBesides bazaars and shopping arcades, he said shoppers were facing great inconvenience at traffic signals, food restaurants, bus terminals, railways stations, mosques, hospitals, markets and public places due to swarms of beggars in Peshawar.
\n\u201cIt is heartbreaking to see young girls and boys\u2019 beggars carrying wipers in hands often start cleaning cars windows on traffic signals without permission in order to get money.\u201d
\nSome beggars come with water bottles, flowers, garlands, caps and rosary to give an impression that they are selling it, but actually they beg for money without an intention of selling anything.
\nRiaz Khan, a resident of Nowshera said he was busy in winter shopping along with his family at Qissa Khwani where a teenage beggar with black colour in hand rushed towards him, asking for money or otherwise his clothes would be made dirty.
\n\u201cIn order to save my clothes, I immediately offered him Rs70, which was refused. On several requests, the beggar accepted Rs 100 and started running towards other shoppers by using the same technique that was intolerable in a civilized society.\u201d
\nHe demanded the KP government to take instantaneous action against swarms of beggars in the city so that people could take a sigh of relief and do winter shopping with ease.
\n\u201cBeggary has been declared illegal under West Pakistan Loitering Ordinance 1958,\u201d said advocate Noman Bokhari, adding this law had not been fully implemented, which resulted in an increase of beggars.
\nHe said the central and provincial laws such as Control of Narcotics Substance Act 1997, West Pakistan Vagrancy Ordinance 1959, Pakistan Employment of Children Act 1991, KP Child Protection and Welfare Act (KPCPWA) 2010 and KP Orphanage Supervision and Control Act 1976 had been promulgated to check drug addiction and streets begging.
\nSimilarly, KPCPWA was enacted in 2010 to protect rights of women and children, but it has not been fully implemented on ground, resulting in swarms of beggars in Peshawar.
\nHe said the role of Child Welfare Commission (CWC) was important to provide protection to child beggars in KP.
\nKP government has been urged to impose a ban on child beggars on the pattern of Sindh province and may direct the social welfare department to pick child beggars from markets, roads, traffic signals, streets and rehabilitate them at their welfare centres.
\nThe spokesman of social welfare department said that special drive have already been launched to shift drugs addicts beggars to rehabilitation centres for treatment.
\nBesides treatment, these beggars were being provided vocational education and training to make them useful citizens of the society.
\nHe urged well off people to donate alms and charity to their known poor deserving people and reputable organizations having clean service record so that their alms could be used for a noble cause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR The last night rain has turned weather cold in Peshawar where rush of buyers were witnesed mostly in garments markets with swarms of beggars that annoyed customers on Sunday. The beggars have tried hard to cash the situation after witnessing an increase of buyers at Dean\u2019s Trade Centre, Karimpura, Qissa Khwani, University Road and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-360445","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n