ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications, Privatisation and Board of Investment Abdul Aleem Khan has expressed great concern regarding the present status of Pakistan Postal Service and given different tasks to ensure its sustainability.

While presiding over meeting of Focal Group for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan stated that current performance of Pakistan Postal Service not matching with the requirements while financial discipline is very poor.

He asked Federal Secretary Communications to make a comprehensive plan in this regard in one week and put-up report in the next meeting. Federal Minister Aleem Khan further said that for the survival of the department we will have to work on war footing to establish emergency financial plan.

He said that in order to increase the revenue of the Pakistan Postal Service, NADRA and Passport Counters should be established in all GPOs and post offices across the country while all such measures should be taken to improve the financial position of the Institution. Aleem Khan said that at least this department should come out of deficit and bear its own expenses.

In the high-level meeting, Aleem Khan said that the old system of post offices around the globe has changed, so we also have to work according to the new requirements and the way of self-reliance by reducing unnecessary expenses by the government institutions. He said that spending billions of rupees from the government funds every year is no kind of achievement.

Aleem Khan said that if the institution of Pakistan Postal Service is to be saved, then the officers and staff will have to work hard and avoid laziness.

Similarly, if the income is low, it cannot last long so the Pakistan Postal Service also has to generate its own resources instead of relying on treasury funds for which all options including renting out its buildings across the country should be considered.

Expressing concern over the current situation, he directed to prepare a coherent policy as a road map for Pakistan Post and asked for a detailed report.

Aleem Khan further said that the task of finalising concrete proposals to increase revenue along with eliminating vacant posts in this institution should be completed as soon as possible.

He said that the institution must achieve financial targets in any case for which various issues were considered in the meeting and senior officers briefed the federal minister.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024