In response to concerns raised by multiple foreign nations, the federal government has decided to criminalise begging by amending the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018.
The Interior Ministry has introduced the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes adding organised beggary to Section 3 of the existing law.
This move follows complaints from Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, Iraq, and Malaysia, which confirmed that Pakistanis visiting these countries—especially for Hajj, Umrah, and other religious pilgrimages—have been involved in begging. The missions urged Pakistani authorities to take strict action against individuals and organised gangs engaged in this practice.
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According to the amendment draft, “agents and gangs facilitating beggary easily evade prosecution since no existing law under the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) criminalises the act. Given the seriousness of the issue, there is an urgent need to make beggary a punishable offense,” states the bill, which was presented in the Senate on January 28.
Defining Organised Begging
The proposed amendment expands on the concept of organised beggary, defining it as any act where a person allures, coerces, or entices another individual—whether through force, fraud, or manipulation—to engage in soliciting or receiving alms.
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Additionally, the bill criminalises soliciting or accepting alms in any public space under any pretext, including:
- Fortune-telling, performing tricks, or selling small items.
- Knocking on vehicle windows at traffic signals or forcefully cleaning windshields.
- Loitering or wandering in public places without a visible means of sustenance, in a manner suggesting reliance on begging.
- Entering private premises to solicit or collect alms.
- Displaying wounds, injuries, or deformities—whether personal or using animals—to seek charity.
Crackdown on Begging and Human Smuggling
The proposed amendments come after repeated concerns from Saudi Arabia, which urged Pakistan to stop sending beggars, unskilled individuals, and those with medical conditions.
In November 2024, the government responded by placing 4,300 suspected beggars on the Exit Control List (ECL) following discussions between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al Maliki.
In recent weeks, hundreds of Pakistanis have been deported from Gulf countries due to issues including improper documentation, insufficient travel funds, procedural violations, criminal activity, and begging.
- Three deported beggars were arrested upon arrival in Karachi, while another returning from Umrah was detained for passport forgery.
- A passenger blacklisted for begging in Saudi Arabia was removed from a flight bound for Bahrain this week.
To combat human smuggling and illegal migration, the FIA has tightened screening measures at airports and instructed officials to closely monitor first-time travelers aged 15 to 40 from nine Pakistani cities.
- Particular scrutiny is being applied to passengers traveling via Ethiopian Airlines and certain routes to countries such as Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, and Kuwait.
- Immigration officers have been directed to thoroughly verify documents, including return tickets and hotel bookings, especially for individuals from regions such as Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Bhimber, Jhelum, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, and Sheikhupura.
- Tourists and visitors with suspicious financial arrangements will be subject to detailed interviews.
The government’s latest actions aim to curb the rising issue of organised begging while addressing international concerns over human smuggling and illegal migration.