Pakistan Post, on Saturday, launched an export parcel service ‘EMS Plus’ for small traders to deliver their consignments in foreign countries within 72 hours at minimal rates.
Minister for Communications and Postal Services, Murad Saeed, formally inaugurated the service in a ceremony at the Pakistan Post head office.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media Affairs Iftikhar Durrani, Secretary Postal Services Pir Baksh Khan Jamali and Director General of Pakistan Post Naseer Ahmed Khan were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, the minister said that Pakistan has an honest leader in Prime Minister Imran Khan and under his vision, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is taking measures to transform all loss-making state institutions into profit-generating organizations.
Saeed said that with this service, which had been initially launched as a pilot project in Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Lahore, parcels of up to 30 kilograms can be booked for six countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Japan, United Kingdom, Thailand, and Australia.
The parcels would be shipped to the designated countries on the same day by air, he added.
In the second phase, the service would be extended to other countries too, probably by next month.
Murad Saeed added that initially, the plan was to launch the service for the entire world, however, owing to some technical issues the service has been limited to just 6 countries for now.
Similarly, he said, effective steps are being taken to steer Pakistan Post out of losses and make it a profitable entity. EMS Plus is one of such measures which would help Pakistan Post, Saeed added.
The minister said that advertisements would be floated in newspapers this week to hire the services of courier companies in the respective countries.
Counters would be established at airports with the deployment of Pakistan Post staff for timely dispatch of the consignments, he added.
He further urged the business community to prefer EMS Plus as it would cost them almost 175 percent less than the amount charged by private courier firms.
The minister said that Pakistan Post would soon offer its services for online shopping through its website as multiple companies had shown interest in selling their brands through it.
