WITH a week of the holy month of Ramazan having past us by, which means just three weeks to go for Eidul Fitr, hordes of beggars have started arriving in Karachi from all over Pakistan, thus increasing the already irritatingly high number in the city.

Streets, markets, traffic signals and roundabouts, nothing is safe from these beggars, who, accompanied by underage children, keep poking one’s back and asking for money. Are these people eligible for our charity? This is a big question.

Moreover, charity organisations have also mushroomed across the city and are minting money not only from the locals, but also from overseas Pakistanis, as they have tax exemption and their accounts are not even audited.

All such activities end up depriving the real needy people, who will prefer to die of hunger than to beg. They are too self-respecting to present themselves physically at roadside eateries set up by certain charity organisations. It is up to us to find such people and come to their rescue with due decency.

As things stand today, it is an open season to beg or to seek charity. Even the hospitals, which fleece their patients all the time, seek donations when they have enough money to be charitable to their heart’s content. And, only a part of the donations they receive actually goes towards providing some meagre relief to the needy patients, while the bulk is spent on infrastructure. Is there someone officially supposed to check the activities that take place in the name of charity?

Malik ul Quddoos
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2023