Pakistan Post ( ur, ) is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest

postal operator This is a list of postal entities by country. It includes: *The governmental authority responsible for postal matters. *The regulatory authority for the postal sector. Postal regulation may include the establishment of postal policies, postal rate ...

. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices across the country, servicing over 50 million people. Pakistan Post operates under the autonomous ''"Postal Services Management Board"'' to deliver a full range of delivery, logistics and fulfillment services to customers. In addition to its traditional role, Pakistan Post also offers services such as ''Postal Life Insurance'' and ''Pakistan Post Savings Bank''. It also operates services on behalf of the federal and provincial governments, by acting as a collection point for tax and utility bills.

Digital Franchise Post Offices (DFPOs)

DFPOs are relatively a newer concept in Pakistan. Individual entrepreneurs are issued IDs by the Master Franchiser (Pakistan Post Foundation). They set up a franchise post office in their own location with their own investment. Till April 27, 2022 PPF has issued IDS to 3773 franchisees while 832 DFPOs have become functional.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

In Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) 2019 Pakistan Post was mentioned in 13 observations. Since then the government has taken extensive steps to ensure FATF Compliance.

History

Middle ages

During the Mughul Empire and

Samma dynasty The Samma dynasty ( sd, سمن جو راڄ, ) was a medieval Sindhi dynasty in the Indian subcontinent, that ruled Sindh, as well as parts of Kutch, Punjab and Balochistan from 1351 to 1524 CE, with their capital at Thatta known as Sa ...

, an early postal system developed along the banks of the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmi ...

Sind Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

beginning in the 13th century. The system consisted of runners or "dak" () who would carry letters from one point to another and then hand it off to the next runner who would do the same. Runners were paid according to distance traveled and weight of the letters. The system extended from Thatta in the south, through

Kotri Kotri ( sd, ڪوٽڙي, ur, ) is a city and the headquarters of the Kotri Taluka of Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan. Located on the right bank of the Indus River, it is the 29th largest city in Pakistan by population. Name Th ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

and as far north as Sukkur. The system later expanded into lower

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

(

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

and Bahawalpur). Letters could be exchanged by over two dozen runners before they reached their destination.

British period (1843-1947)

In 17 February 1843, following the Battle of Miani, Sind fell to the British followed by

in 1845. Sir Bartle Frere became the Chief Commissioner of Sindh in 1850 and improved upon the postal system by introducing a cheap and standard rate for postage, independent of distance traveled. In 1851, runners were replaced with horses and camels which proved to be beneficial as it quickly and efficiently transported mail, connecting government offices and post offices. In 1855, the Scinde Railway began taking over most mail routes however camels and horses were still used in regions where the railway had not yet reached. By 1886, the

North Western State Railway The North Western State Railway (NWR) was formed in January 1886 from the merger of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, the Indus Valley State Railway, the Punjab Northern State Railway, the eastern section of the Sind–Sagar Railway and the ...

was responsible for transporting most mail up and down the country. The postal system by now had been expanded from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

in the south to as far north as

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a ...

Post-Independence period (1947-present)

Pakistan Post was established following its

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

from Britain under the modified ''Post Office Act VI, 1898''50 Year of Pakistan, Volume I Summary, FBS, Statistics Division, GoP, Islamabad 1998 Pg 155 and became operation on 14 August 1947. Pakistan Post fell under the Department of Posts and Telegraph in the Ministry of Communications. The Office of the Postmaster General was established in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

. In 10th November 1947, Pakistan joined the

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...

as its 89th member. On 9 July 1948, Pakistan Post issued its first postage stamps, a set of four stamps commemorating the country's independence. In 1959, an ''"All-up-Airmail"'' scheme was introduced by which all letters were airlifted between stations on an air network. Sikorsky helicopters of

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Aviation Secretary of Pakistan, Secretary to the Governme ...

were used to deliver mail within

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wit ...

.Karapex '87 Stamp Exhibition souvenir. Organised by Pakistan Philatelic Society, Karachi pg 11. In July 1962, the government bifurcated the old department50 Year of Pakistan, Volume I Summary, FBS, Statistics Division, GoP, Islamabad 1998 Pg 156 and independently placed Pakistan Post under the Ministry of Communications. In January 1987, ''"Urgent Mail Service"'' was introduced in the country50 Year of Pakistan, Volume I Summary, FBS, Statistics Division, GoP, Islamabad 1998 Pg 157 and in April 1987, ''"Local Packet & Parcel Service"'' was introduced. On 1 January 1988, five-digit postal codes were introduced nationwide. Between 1 August 1992 to 6 July 1996, the post office was separated from the Ministry of Communications and was made an independent corporation.50 Year of Pakistan, Volume I Summary, FBS, Statistics Division, GoP, Islamabad 1998 Pgs 157–158 From 1 December 1992, a new ''"Overseas Postal Circle"'' with its headquarters in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

was launched, to streamline foreign mail. Prior to the Islamabad facility, all international mail was received and sent through Karachi. Between 2006 and 2007, mail was sent using 19 domestic airports including

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

Moenjodaro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

and Skardu.Major Traffic Flow by Airports during 2006–07
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 23 August 2010. During the same period, four international airports were also used: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. In 2007, the Pakistan Post embarked on a new vision which included a logo change. On 3 November 2008, the department was placed under the postal division of the newly created

Ministry of Postal Services The Ministry of Mass Media ( si, ජනමාධ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය; ta, வெகுசன ஊடக அமைச்சு) is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for the implementation of the ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Israr Ullah Zehri was appointed its first minister.

Services

Pakistan Post is not merely confined to a number of postal services. Its areas of activities span on larger scale. The national character, strong brand recognition and a wide network of post offices bestows a unique position to the Pakistan Post in playing a vital role in the economic and social development of Pakistan. It serves as the principal agency for the government in implementing key policies. Pakistan Post is providing a variety of services on behalf of many federal and provincial government departments. In December 2018, Federal Minister for Communication and Postal Services

Murad Saeed Murad Saeed ( ur, ; born 17 August 1995) is a Pakistani politician who served as Ministry of Communications (Pakistan), Federal Minister for Communications and Ministry of Postal Services (Pakistan), Federal Minister for Postal Services from Dec ...

launched the Pakistan Post Mobile Application.

Postal services

The following are postal services offered within the country. # Letter Mail (ordinary and registered) # Parcel Post (Inland and International) # Certificate of Posting # Post Boxes Special Services The following are special services with their date of commencement given in brackets. Not all services are provided in every post office. # Air Express (Airex) (2 August 1986) # Fax Mail Service (FM) (1 August 1988) # Fax Money Order (FMO) (15 August 1988) # International Speed Post (ISP) (1 September 1986) # Local Express Delivery (LES) (22 April 1987) # Postal Draft Service (15 November 1987) # Postal Giro Service (15 March 1988) # Saving Bank Mobile Account (12 January 1988) # Urgent Mail Service (UMS) (1 January 1987) # Urgent Money Order Service (UMO)15 April 1988 # EMO (Electronic Money Order Service).Pakistan Post Office earning through remittances services
The Times of Islamabad (newspaper), Published 30 August 2016, Retrieved 3 March 2022 # Pakistan Post starts collecting utility bills from home (June 2007)100,000 Digital Franchise Post Offices to be established: Murad
Associated Press of Pakistan website, Published 1 March 2022, Retrieved 3 March 2022

Federal services

#Collection of taxes: income and withholding (on NSS profit payment) #Collection of Customs Duty and Sales Tax (on foreign postal articles) #Delivery of Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) #Disbursement of welfare/financial assistance #Food Support Programme #Payment to

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

Pensioners #Sale of

Highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

and

Motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

Safety books

Government owned businesses

#Cash Management services for Khushali Bank #Collection of utility bills including electricity:

WAPDA The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA; ur, ) is a government-owned public utility maintaining power and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power. WAPDA includes Tarbela and Mangla dams among its resources. ...

and KESC; natural gas: Sui Southern Gas Company; and telephone: PTCL #Delivery of NTN Certificates #Payment to Capital Development Authority (CDA) Pensioners #Payment to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) Pensioners #Sale of PTCL phonecards #Sale of Agricultural Loan Pass Books #Sale of Postal Life Insurance

Provincial services

#Renewal of Arms Licences #Renewal of Driving Licences #Sale of Route Permit Fee stamps #Sale of Motor Vehicle Fitness stamps #Motor Vehicle Tax Collection

Private enterprise

The following are services provided in partnership with private enterprise. * With BISP: Payment to over 2.2 million beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Program (at GPOs and Post Offices throughout Pakistan) * With The First MicroFinanceBank Ltd – Pakistan (FMFB-P): microfinance services through post offices. * Cash Management and Courier Services for

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

Training

In 1987, the post office established a Postal Staff College in Islamabad to provide training to its employees in various fields. Over the years it has also imparted training to employees of 57 other postal services including Albania, Cambodia, Fiji, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia. It also has 5 regional training centres at Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Nowshera and Quetta. On 26 October 2015, in an interview to the media, "A Pakistan Post official told the media that a new, comprehensive plan to revitalize the department had been chalked out, including staff training, electronic money transfer and tracking facilities etc. The aim is to bring the entity up to international standards of customer satisfaction." On 15 October 2013, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) of 10 member nations from Asia and Europe, in its 20th meeting at

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

, Azerbaijan decided to establish the "ECO Postal Staff College" at

, Pakistan to help train postal services staff for the 10 member nations. The 10 member nations were

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...

and

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

. In 2016, "Pakistan has been re-elected to the Council of Administration (CA) in the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the main decision-making body of the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the development and cooperation of International Postal Service."

Post offices

Post offices in Pakistan by Fiscal Year (July to June):http://nation.com.pk/business/02-Jun-2016/highlights-of-pakistan-economic-survey-2015-16, 'Highlights of Pakistan Economic Survey 2015-16', The Nation newspaper, Retrieved 20 February 2017

Revenue

This is a chart of trend of incomes of Pakistan Post from diversified public services such as post, parcel, banking, insurance, with figures in millions of Pakistani Rupees.

References

External links

*
EMTTS - Express Mail Track & Trace SystemPakistan Postal / Zip Codes
{{authority control Government-owned companies of Pakistan Postal organizations Postal system of Pakistan Pakistan federal departments and agencies Government agencies established in 1947 Pakistani brands 1947 establishments in Pakistan Ministry of Communications (Pakistan)