ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was briefly detained Tuesday after law enforcement agencies mistakenly identified him during a nationwide crackdown on professional beggars ordered by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, officials and witnesses said.
The operation, launched to dismantle organized begging networks across the country, instructed police to take action against “habitual and professional solicitation” without exception. Officials said the prime minister was stopped outside a government building after officers concluded he met “multiple operational indicators.”
“The officers were acting in good faith,” an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. “They heard repeated references to foreign assistance, loans, debt rollovers and financial support. The profile matched.”
Sharif has previously attracted attention for remarking that “beggars are not choosers” while referring to Pakistan’s economic negotiations with international lenders, a statement that has since become one of the country’s most frequently recycled political quotations.
The prime minister was reportedly transported to a nearby police station before senior officials confirmed his identity. Authorities insisted the Prime Minister’s detention should not be interpreted as selective enforcement.
“Our instructions were very clear…” another official said. “The campaign applies equally to everyone”.
The Interior Ministry declined to comment on whether officers responsible for the arrest would face disciplinary action, praising them instead for “demonstrating complete independence from political influence.”
At press time, officials confirmed that the crackdown against professional beggars would continue nationwide, adding that future operations would include “additional identity verification procedures where constitutionally significant individuals are involved.”
