THE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has introduced the Vagrancy Act 2026, a tough law to curb begging by targeting professional beggars. For a government often absorbed in protests and political spectacle this is a notable step. If enforced honestly and consistently it can clear cities, markets and streets of a growing social blight while reinforcing law, order and dignity. Begging has long become a problem affecting social fabric urban life public safety and national dignity. It is not a minor nuisance but a serious social economic and moral crisis. Public spaces show the scale of the issue. At traffic signals children move between cars asking for money. Elderly men and women stand with outstretched hands. Women with infants move through intersections and markets seeking alms. Mosques, hospitals, schools, bus terminals, railway stations and commercial areas have become familiar sites of professional begging. In many places citizens struggle to shop or commute peacefully. What makes the issue alarming is that begging is no longer only poverty expression. It has become an organized trade sustained by exploitation networks. Behind apparent helplessness lies deception child abuse exploitation of women and sometimes criminal protection. Many professional beggars fake sickness or disability to gain sympathy. Some are linked to theft pickpocketing fraud scouting homes and other crimes. Begging is thus both a social evil and a........

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