ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday praised Pakistan Post for providing state-of-the-art facilities to its customers, including on-line money-transfer facility from abroad.

During his visit to the ‘Pakistan Mall’ here at the Rana Market, President Gen Pervez Musharraf said such modernized one-stop-services facility should be extended across the country.

“Pakistan Mall” is the pilot project of the Pakistan Post which offers various services through the use of modern techniques of information technology in the communication.

The president visited various counters of the Mall which also provide facilities of a modern business centre.

Communications minister Lt-Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi (retired) and DG Post Maj-Gen Agha Masood Hassan (retired) briefed the president on the extension plans of these modern facilities.

Three more “Pakistan Mall” centres will be set up in the country within the next six months.

These centres will be set up at Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi, he said.

The Pakistan Post has made special arrangements with the Western Union — an international postal insurance company — for the fastest money transfer facility.

A customer can now receive money from abroad in just 10 minutes through on-line disbursement facility.

The fast money-transferring outlets are currently available at 76 locations and the Pakistan Post plans to increase it to 376 by December.

The Mall, which was inaugurated in September, has handled about $5.1 million in money-transfer from abroad in just about a month’s time, the DG said.

The DG Post Maj-Gen Agha Masood Hassan (retired) said the Pakistan Post was the biggest bank of the country with some 4.5 million accounts and Rs70 billion in the credit.

The Pakistan Post has also signed an agreement with the DHL Courier Services for quick delivery of parcels anywhere in the world.

“The model Pakistan Mall is the first to provide all the facilities — banking, insurance, savings, mailing, parcelling and business centre — under one roof,” the communications minister said.

The business centre at the Mall also offer facility of video-conference to its corporate customers at affordable rates.

It also provides speedy internet services through five kiosks set up with printing and scanning facilities.

“Through Pakistan Mall, we have brought the hi-tech IT services under one-roof within the reach of a common man, “ the DG Pakistan Post said.

Refreshments counters have also been set up for the customers inside the Mall premises. — APP