Peshawar: (Roshan Khan) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has approved the Beggary Control and Rehabilitation Bill in the provincial cabinet, calling it a historic step toward eliminating organized begging networks.
Afridi said the new legislation will serve as a decisive measure against exploitation and criminal networks involved in forced begging. The bill emphasizes a rights-based and rehabilitative approach, targeting individuals who force children into begging with strict legal action and no leniency.
“Removing children from begging and providing protection and rehabilitation is both a constitutional and moral duty of the government,” Afridi stated. The law criminalizes organized begging while ensuring aftercare and rehabilitation, distinguishing between ordinary beggars and mafia operators.
The bill proposes penalties ranging from one month to one year in prison and fines up to PKR 50,000 for repeated begging, while fraud-based begging could result in one to two years’ imprisonment. Leaders of begging mafias may face up to three years in prison and fines up to PKR 400,000.
Afridi urged citizens to support verified rehabilitation programs instead of organized networks. KP is set to become the first province in Pakistan offering a comprehensive, sustainable solution to begging.
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