Islamabad: The Senate was introduced by a revised bill on the prevention of begging and addressed the incidents of Pakistani begging abroad. The internal ministry introduced a law on changing human trading and defined “organized begging” as forced, fraudulent or forced offers of a charity organization. This category also includes fraud, persuading or offering incentives for alms. According to the bill, he is considered to be organized begging for gifts in public places, tricks of tricks or selling items under false pretexts. There are also knocking on the windows of the car, forcibly cleaning the windshield and pretending to rely only on the alms for survival. Displaying injuries, disability or illness to obtain sympathy and permitting an exhibition for gifts are categorized as organized begging. The bill proposes up to 7 years in prison and a fine of RS1 million for recruiting, escape or transport of individuals to organized begging. Pakistani diplomatic missions reported cases of begging citizens during Hajj, Umrah, pilgrimage or personal visits. The host country urged strict steps against these individuals. The bill emphasizes that agents and gangs are avoiding legal measures because begging is not currently a criminal offense under Jurisdiction FIA. To solve this growing problem, the bill proposes to criminalize begging.
