Beggars ringing doorbells are a nightmare

Beggars are of many kinds in Rawalpindi; street corner beggars near red lights and when motorists stop, they swarm the cars and there are beggars who come to our front door. I want to talk about the ones at the front door.

“The beggars who come to my house are regulars. We know each other’s names, I know a few of their home life stories. They are usually young women holding a baby girl or a boy,” says Wirda Batool. “I give these women money but when they come by, once a week. At times, I search my cupboard for secondhand clothes or fridge for food,” adds Wirda.

“Not everyone who begs is poor and not all poor people beg. Nevertheless, people who beg are often some of the most vulnerable in our society, and many are struggling with extreme poverty,” says Tazeen Zahra.

“The enormous and even alarming increase in the number of beggars in Fazal Town Phase-I streets is because a large number of professional beggars are drawn to the area from all parts of the city for the well-founded belief that its residents are generous,” says Almash Fatima.

“Times are hard. We are under pressure to focus our finances on our nearest and dearest ones. For many, the unknown needy is, unfortunately, becoming an unnecessary expense. Perhaps because of economic circumstances, door-to-door begging appears to be on the increase across parts of the city. I live in the Airport Road area of Fazal Town Phase-I, where the problem seems to be most acute,” says Haadia Zainab.

This crowd of beggars roaming in this locality consists of men with unkempt beards, women both old and young, group of children including girls and boys. Both polite and impudent, they are on the streets. This area seems to be their favorite haunt. Here they keep on pushing the doorbells. They move up and down the street from early in the morning until daylight, even during nighttime,” says Sadaf Ali.

“When beggars stop by the front door, they traditionally ring the doorbell to announce their presence. One push of the button sets off not only the doorbells but at many homes it also sparks a cacophony of dogs barking and children yelling or crying,” says Farheen Hussain.

“Beggars always make a surprise visit to our residence; a doorbell can be almost alarming for the dwellers he is dropping in on. When the doorbell rings, it can startle the person inside who then has to drop what he/she is doing and come see who has stopped by for a visit,” says Nazish Hasan.

Quainaat Baqir says, “Doorbells are frightening if somebody has just walked into the shower, settled down for a rest, or has a kid finally sleeping.”