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| January 22, 2003 | Wednesday | Ziqa’ad 18, 1423 |
E-money transfer service launched
ISLAMABAD, Jan 21: Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Economic Affairs Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said post offices could play a vital role in fast inflow of remittances by providing speedy and transparent money-transfer facilities to overseas Pakistanis.
He expressed these views after a formal launching ceremony of global remittance system at the Post Mall. The system has been launched by the Pakistan Post in collaboration with Western Union network.
The advisor said post office linkage would greatly help Pakistanis living abroad in regular and smooth remittance to the homeland.
“The postal service should ensure quick delivery of remittances send by Pakistani expatriates to their families back home.”
Mr Aziz hoped it would help the people in the fields of communications, banking and mail services. He said post office would be entrusted with a major role in disbursement of money among the poor people under prime minister’s “Falahi Programme”.
He said foreign remittances’ inflow had reached $2.1 billion in first six months of the current fiscal year. The government has revised the set target of foreign remittances from $3 billion to $4 billion in 2002-03, he said.
The advisor expressed the hope that remittances would touch the figure of $4 billion by the end of the current fiscal year against $2.9 million of the previous year.
Director General Post Office Maj-Gen Agha Masood Hasan (retired), while apprising the advisor about functioning of the Post Mall, said it provided a number of consumer services at one place.
He said all branches of post offices were being upgraded for the benefit of public. He said post offices were trying to improve their service in accordance with the people’s requirements. He said about 7.7 million people visited the post offices daily.
In the Post Mall, the DG said, people were being provided facilities like internet, e-mail, banking service, refreshments etc.
Earlier, the advisor witnessed demonstration of instant money transmission at Post Mall.—APP
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