SENDING letters, invitations, books, parcels, gifts and supplies through Pakistan Post is considered an inexpensive and easy way. But is it? Despite all the loud claims, the performance of the country’s public service delivery departments is declining day by day.

I recently tested the performance and efficiency of Pakistan Post. I posted a self-addressed ordinary letter which costs Rs20. I dropped it in the letter box at the Saddar General Post Office on June 17. But, unfortunately, this letter has not reach its destination to date.

According to the Pakistan Post website, the department is providing postal services in every nook and corner of the country through a network of about 13,000 post offices. Pakistan Post is providing services to about 20 million households and businesses as community service ‘‘without any cost considerations.

In addition to its traditional role, the department also performs agency functions on behalf of federal and provincial governments, which, inter alia, include Postal Life Insurance, collection of taxes, collection of electricity, water, gas and telephone bills.

It also claims to provide a universal postal service network in harmony with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) strategy to ensure secure and timely delivery of mail, money and material at affordable cost through utilisation of people, process and technology, and innovative product offerings.

However, owing to poor performance of the department, private courier companies with high rates have flooded the postal sector.

The performance of Pakistan Post can be gauged from the fact that the number of post offices in Karachi has been declining for the last several decades, and, with the exception of a few large post offices, we no longer see roadside letterboxes, while the role of the postman has also come to an end.

In the past, ‘probationary letters system’ was a common practice in the postal department where the authorities would from time to time send ‘test letters’ to check the delivery of mail and to ensure timely delivery of ordinary letters.

Although Pakistan Post has increased the rates of all its services, more than a hundred times over the years, its services to the consumers are still disappointing.

It is said that during the British Raj in India, even people who could not afford to buy a postal stamp used to send ‘bearing’ letters, and even those letters reached Calcutta (now Kolkata) from Peshawar in a few days. However, in the modern age, the performance of Pakistan Post is so pathetic that prepaid postage, ordinary, urgent mail and registered letters either do not reach their destinations in time or never reach at all.

The federal minister concerned should pay attention to the poor performance and inefficiency of Pakistan Post.

Israr Ayoubi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2021