LIKE dozens of other state institutions, the Pakistan Post is waiting for a silent death. This is despite the fact that it has the most significant buildings in central locations of cities as well as towns across the country. With almost 12,000 outlets, Pakistan Post currently has more than 30,000 employees.
Established initially by Warren Hastings under the East India Company, but modified as a service under the Crown later in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie, Pakistan Post has had a wonderful past.
As such, the Post Office Act of 1898 still provides foundations and a frame-work for departmental performance and operations, with only minor modifications and amendments needed. In fact, the law contributed to the glory and splendour of the department in the past, and may well do the trick today.
However, assessing the reasons behind this swift debacle of a historical and giant-sized organisation is vital. The rough and acrid attitude of the department towards public should be discouraged and replaced with politeness, softness and tolerance with proper training.
In essence, departmental training and refresher courses for the staff should be conducted regularly and mandated for promotion to the next stage.
A social experiment with Pakistan Post employees working on counters shows a horrible lack of modern mannerisms and strategies to cope with the issues related to public interactions. Ironically, in this day and age, staff members insist on packing a parcel in a white cloth and to have it sealed with a rare kind of wax. With cartons and plastic bags readily available, there is no point in continuing with such dated practices.
Valuable parcels and letters need to be handled responsibly. Damage to precious items, especially books, has led many people to question the reliability factor of the service. Besides, careful handling and distribution of the daily mail must be ensured.
Moreover, the department can issue memorable postal stamps of public interest and affection. Religious and political heroes, nature and beauty, historical buildings and institutions, and a lot of other stuff is there to be used to generate public interest and revenue.
Branch post offices in villages as well as in far-off areas should be franchised to small investors and shopkeepers. An instant commission system for booking registered articles, parcels, money orders and foreign posts should be introduced to develop the personal interest of the booking clerks and delivery staff in increasing business to the highest level.
The officers’ cadre should constantly organise meetings with small online business initiators, educational institutions, banks, public organisations, etc., and visit various workplaces.
Besides, other postal staff should be incentivised with target-based schemes, good performance and business develo-pment. Promotions should be based solely on integrity, performance and achiev-ements. In essence, Pakistan Post should avoid standing in the way of its own future.
Qamar Abbas Warraich
Faisalabad
Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024
