Polimmick: Professional begging quite a business in Pakistan

Islamabad has finally made it official. It has disclosed in its National Assembly that more than 5,000 Pakistani beggars have been deported from various countries since 2024. It appears as if panhandling is quite a business in the neighbouring country. In a video that became viral in February, a Pakistani woman - a doctor by profession - claimed that after a few months of marriage, she discovered that her in-laws' mansion, SUVs, swimming pool and other luxuries were acquired through begging.

So, she had been married into a family of luxurious beggars. Just wow!

In a way, there are two types of beggars:


1) Cautious creatures

2) Daring dudes

The cautious one may stay a pauper forever, but the daring dudes have the capacity to dream big. It's this dream that has helped Pakistani beggars acquire wealth, fly out and become even richer - a business model that has caught everyone's attention.

Begging, like marketing, requires special skills. To sell products, however good, companies need strategies to entice buyers. Similarly, beggars, however rich, must dress up in a particular manner and seek alms in their unique ways so that benefactors develop an automatic feeling of pity at the sight of the misfortune of a miserably dressed tramp.

With Pakistan's interior ministry revealing that the majority - 4,498 - of the beggars were sent back from Saudi Arabia, it is likely that the poor souls may turn even more ingenious and explore new avenues to avoid being caught in future.

In this light, the big question is how Pakistanis will react to the Indian defence minister's remark that "wherever Pakistan stands, the line of beggars starts from there". The professionals are most likely to wear it like a badge of honour. Afterall, the world has recognised their acumen.