Every day, from morning till evening, a familiar and unsettling scene appears just outside the Karachi University campus. An elderly woman sits in a wheelchair, asking for alms from passing vehicles. After Maghrib, a rickshaw regularly arrives and takes the woman away. This daily ‘drop-and-pick’ routine raises a serious concern: is this truly a case of individual hardship or a sign of an organised begging network? While we must avoid rash accusations, we also must not normalise a pattern that suggests coordination and possible exploitation.
Authorities must respond with both humanity and seriousness. If the woman is genuinely disabled and needy, she deserves dignified support through social welfare services, verified NGOs, rehabilitation facilities or structured assistance not exposure to traffic, weather and public pity. If, however, this is part of a wider racket, then law enforcement and local administration must intervene to identify those controlling the operation and stop the exploitation.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
