LAHORE, Oct 12: The Lahore High Court dismissed on Friday a writ petition seeking government action against the rising incidence of beggary in Pakistan.

The petition, moved by Advocate MD Tahir, said the country was already too weak economically and the situation would aggravate if more people adopted beggary to ‘earn’ a living. The 1958 Vagrancy Ordinance was entirely ineffective to curb the menace and more and more people, particularly children and women, were taking to beggary.

The Punjab government in its comments conceded that the law was inadequate to check beggary. It said it was also constrained by the paucity of funds to set up welfare homes for the truly indigent people. It was for the legislature to adopt comprehensive and effective measures against beggary, the government added. Justice Jawad S Khwaja, who heard the petition, observed that courts could do little where legislative action was the only remedy.