Lahore: The Punjab government on Saturday launched a coordinated crackdown on organised beggar mafias across the province, with Lahore selected as the first city to be made ‘beggar-free’ under a comprehensive anti-begging campaign.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Punjab Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi at the Home Department to review measures against organised vagrant networks. Senior officials from the Home, Social Welfare, Police, Punjab Safe Cities Authority, FIA, Health and School Education departments attended the meeting.
Chairing the meeting, Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi directed all relevant departments to implement a coordinated strategy to eliminate organised begging from Lahore in the first phase before expanding the campaign to other parts of the province.
He ordered a strict crackdown on professional beggars operating at public places and directed the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and Traffic Police to identify and dismantle the organised networks behind professional begging.
The meeting was informed that forcing individuals into begging is a non-bailable offence under the amended Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance, 1958, which provides enhanced legal provisions for action against organised begging networks.
The Home Secretary directed authorities to launch joint operations against gang leaders and handlers exploiting children, women and elderly persons for begging, stressing that effective prosecution should ensure exemplary punishment for those involved. He also ordered the use of modern technology, Safe Cities surveillance and human intelligence during the campaign, besides directing authorities to develop a comprehensive database of repeat offenders and identify hotspot locations for intelligence-led targeted operations.
Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said the Punjab government was simultaneously strengthening welfare homes by expanding their capacity and improving facilities, including food, healthcare, accommodation, education for children and vocational training, to rehabilitate deserving and underprivileged individuals and help them become financially self-reliant.
He urged citizens to report professional beggar mafias through Police Helpline 15, assuring that the identity of informants would remain confidential.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Social Welfare Saira Omar, Special Secretary Home Zainab Khan, Director General Social Welfare Dr Shehnshah Faisal, Director General Probation and Parole Shahid Iqbal, Additional Secretary Prisons Roman Burana, Additional Secretary Judicial Abdul Rauf, Chief Traffic Officer Lahore Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi, AIG Sarfraz Virk, Deputy Prosecutor General Dr Usman Iqbal, Director Civil Defence Punjab Tasneem Ali Khan and representatives of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, FIA, School Education Department and Health Department.