District administration decides to jail adult professional beggars

SARGODHA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Apr, 2026) The district administration has decided to launch a strict crackdown on professional beggars, including the arrest and imprisonment of adults found involved in begging activities across the city.

The decision was taken during a meeting on the anti-beggary campaign chaired by Deputy Commissioner Sargodha Hussain Ahmed Raza Chaudhry on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Headquarters Muhammad Arshad Wattoo, Deputy Director Social Welfare Zeeba Andaleeb, Assistant Commissioner Sargodha Ahmad Sher Gondal, while assistant commissioners of other tehsils joined through video link.

Addressing the meeting, the DC directed authorities to arrest individuals above 18 years of age found begging and send them to jail.

He further ordered that minor children involved in begging be taken into protective custody and handed over to the Social Welfare Department for rehabilitation and corrective support.

He instructed officials to conduct surveys across the city to identify areas with a high concentration of beggars and ensure effective action in such locations.

He said professional begging had become an organized mafia and emphasized the need for a coordinated crackdown strategy.

Hussein Ahmed Raza Chaudhry also directed assistant commissioners and social welfare officers to intensify joint operations with police and other law enforcement agencies.

He ordered special monitoring of entry and exit points of the city as well as motorways to curb the movement of professional beggars.

During the meeting, Deputy Director Social Welfare Zeeba Andaleeb gave a detailed briefing on measures being taken under the Anti-Beggary Act and the future course of action.