SINCE its inception, Pakistan has been caught in socio-political crisis. Corruption in government institutions and lack of enthusiasm have been adding to the problems of people. The poor performance by our postal service is a case in point.

The importance of postal services all over the world cannot be overstated. However, Pakistan Post’s situation is much different where lack of productivity has become the norm due to the negligence of successive governments.

Resultantly, people have moved to private courier services, which are faster than Pakistan Post. Although deliveries through private courier services do not take over three days, there are hefty charges for their services. A letter from Balochistan to Punjab may cost Rs300 to Rs450 to be delivered within three days.

Those who cannot afford to pay such an amount use the postal service to wait for a month. The minister concerned should pay attention to the postal system’s dismal and poor performance. The Pakistan Post generated Rs14.77 billion revenue in the 2018-19 fiscal, which can be increased if some reforms are brought in the system.

Naveed Ahmed Thaheem
Sohbat Pur, Balochistan

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EITHER due to lack of appropriate laws or their implementation, in essence, private courier companies charge hefty amounts. I visited the office of a private courier company a few days ago in Islamabad to post books worth Rs750 to my younger brother in Sindh. The staff told the charges would amount to Rs650, approximately equal to the value of the books.

On the other hand, Pakistan Post is relatively cheaper compared to the private courier companies as charges of the same service at Pakistan Post were Rs280 only.

However, due to the lack of appropriate mechanisms, people are compelled to use private services. Therefore, I urge the ministry concerned to improve the functioning of post offices across Pakistan in order to restore public confidence and to compete with private courier companies and ease the movement of items throughout Pakistan.

Muhammad Tarique
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2021