October 10, 2003	Friday	Sha’aban 13, 1424

KARACHI, Oct 9: The Pakistan Post Office (PPO) has decided to establish a postal museum on I.I. Chundrigar Road where a library, a philatelic bureau, a conference hall and a research centre will also be set up.

This was announced by the Sindh postmaster general, Mohammad Ahmed Mian, at a function held at the Postal Training Centre in connection with the World Post Day.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized UN agency which is headquartered in Berne, Switzerland, was established on Oct 9, 1874.

He said that spread over 500 square yards, the museum would display all stamps issued by the Universal Postal Union as well as uniforms worn by postmen since the inception of the Pakistan Post Office. The library, he added, would contain books on philately. Students and researchers would be allowed to have access to the library free of charge.

The Sindh postmaster general also announced that philately exhibitions would be held at the museum on a regular basis. He added that stamp clubs would be opened at schools to make philately popular among schoolchildren.

He said it was an honour for the PPO that Pakistan was represented in two prestigious postal bodies: Council of Administrations and Postal Operations Council.

He announced that the PPO had also decided to build a postal mall in the city modelled on the one already operating in the capital.

The post mall is already functioning in Islamabad whereas such a facility at Lahore and Peshawar would be ready in next two months time.

He explained that the postal mall would offer the services of express post, Airex, Internet, sale of commemorative stamps and transfer of money (remittances). He added that the postal mall would also offer all those services available at general post offices.

Expressing his fondness for the old postal department, Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan underlined the need for streamlining the postal system of the country. He added that information technology should be introduced in the postal department.

“A number of people turn to courier agencies because they feel the PPO does not deliver letters on time. Steps should be taken to dispel this impression. The PPO should also keep a proper record of the letters received, sorted out and delivered in a day,” he said.

The city Nazim suggested that the PPO should initiate saving deposit schemes and issue credit cards in consultation with the State Bank of Pakistan. He urged the Postal Life Insurance, an 119-year-old body, to initiate group insurance schemes.

An official read out a statement of the UPU director-general. According to the statement, the postal sector is influenced by the trend towards globalization. “Some established postal services are setting up their operations in other countries, preparing for what they predict will be a completely liberalized market in a few years. Others are forming alliances with private operators that have a global presence in order to expand the reach of their services, increase revenues and improve services.”

“The UPU itself is a global institution because it ensures exchange of mail and parcels to the citizens of all countries in the world. This was the concept of the “single post territory” which was enshrined by the fathers of the UPU in its constitution. The UPU, in fact, was the only truly global inter- governmental organization when it was founded in 1847 and it remains today a global force, contributing to the economic and social development of all its member countries,” the statement says.