‘Govt attaches great importance to improvement of postal services’

By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Friday said that the present government attaches great importance to the improvement of postal services and transparent governance.
In his message on the occasion of World Post Day, he said that Postal sector plays a commendable role in financial services at affordable rates aimed at narrowing the financial inclusion gap as well meeting the evolving needs of its customers irrespective of all physical barriers. “Being aware of the challenges of the digital world of today, Pakistan Post has also adopted a progressive and forward looking approach to make Pakistan Post a financially viable and self-sustaining digital entity.†he added.
He said that Universal Postal Union (UPU) is a chain which connects people and communities, adding that it helps to sustain the flow of information, facilitate the movement of goods across the frontiers. The minister said that in order to meet the challenges brought forth by the monumental changes in the field of information
technology, postal services throughout the world have transformed and adapted themselves to these technology driven changes and have survived in the ever changing competitive environment of today. “Post has five million employees force and a network of 670.000 outlets around the world.†he added.
Murad Saeed said that our government is helping Pakistan Post as public service organization to contribute in national economy, adding that it has a history of more than 160 years including pre-partition and present Pakistan as service providing organization having the largest network in every nook and corner of the country.
“Despite numerous financial constraints it is still an important custodian of the
public purse and trust as its average daily financial transactions are in billion rupees†the minister said. He said that his priority has been to ensure administrative and financial discipline by bringing an effective accountability system across the board to make Pakistan Post a truly vibrant and self-sustaining public organization. “We have taken new steps to bridge the gap in revenue and expenditure. We have Launched Mobile Application, introduced Same Day Delivery Service and time sensitive international service EMS Plus,†he said, adding that “now Pakistan Post is also contributing by payment of Foreign Remittance received through NBP†. He said that during COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan Post disbursed pension at the doorstep of elderly pensioners to save them from the threat of virus, adding that brave postal field staff paid pension to more than 1.5 million pensioners mostly in the rural areas of the country. The minister said that our goal is to change outdated culture of the organization and to strengthen it on modern lines. “On this occasion I congratulate all postal workers and encourage all Pakistanis to support and use Pakistan Post being national organization†, he added. The theme of 2020 World Post Day is “More than Mail†. This highlights the role of postal sector is beyond its core function of delivery of mail.