PESHAWAR (Shahid Jan): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has presented the “Vagrancy Act 2026” in the assembly to end the chain of professional begging from across the province.
Under this proposed law, a provincial steering committee will be established to eliminate begging, which will have the authority to recommend blocking the identity cards and passports of habitual beggars.
The bill has formulated a mechanism for strict action against professional beggars so that this social evil can be eradicated at the root.
While detailing the punishments, the proposed bill states that for the first time, there will be a warning or one month’s imprisonment; however, if caught for the second time, the punishment can be increased to one year.
Similarly, beggars who seek sympathy through fraud will be punished with 2 years in prison, and those who run organised groups will be punished with 3 years in prison. A hefty fine of up to Rs 4 lakh has been proposed for those who beg from children, and the affected children will be handed over to the Child Protection Unit for rehabilitation.
Administratively, the police and social welfare authorities have been given the power to arrest without a warrant, but the arrested persons must be produced before a special magistrate within 24 hours. The court will also have the power to send the concerned person to a rehabilitation centre instead of punishment, where he/she will be given psychological support and technical training.
In addition, a “Vagrancy Control Fund” will also be established, while beggars will be monitored using biometrics and modern technology. Provisions for sending non-local beggars back to their areas and bringing facilitators under the law are also part of the bill.
