Post Office loses ground to online banking

Adopting latest technology to avert annual loss of Rs2b.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Post Office is suffering a loss of Rs2 billion annually as it has lost most of the money order business after the popularity of online banking and other private competitors, says the chairman.

Syed Ghulam Panjtan Rizvi, also the director general of Post Office, was speaking at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). Leading a delegation, he visited the ICCI to highlight the steps being taken by the Post Office to facilitate the business community.

Rizvi said in order to keep pace with the changing communications market, the Post Office was increasingly focusing on use of latest communications and information technologies to move beyond its traditional postal business.

“The Post Office is committed to making secure and timely delivery of mail, money and material at the doorsteps of customers at an affordable rate,” he said.

Rizvi stressed that the postal service had been transformed into a modern and fully computerised organisation to compete with private couriers.

He told the business community that they could take benefit of online postal services such as Express Mail Tracking System where they can track their international business packets and personal mail items online even on cellphones by logging on to wwe.ep.gov.pk.

Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Zafar Bakhtawari pointed out that many public sector enterprises were a drain on government resources and caused huge financial losses to the national exchequer. To make these enterprises efficient and profitable, he underlined the need for adopting good governance and an effective monitoring system. He asked the Post Office to bridge the trust deficit and provide speedy service to attract customers. He added that the Post Office could launch other attractive services to cater to people’s needs.

Former ICCI president Munawar Mughal suggested that the Post Office should provide motorcycles for all postmen across the country, which would ensure quality services to the people.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2012.          

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