Pakistan Post loses Rs12 billion a year, policy to cut costs ready: Abdul Aleem Khan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan told the Senate on Tuesday that Pakistan Post is losing about Rs12 billion every year. He said the loss could rise to Rs18 billion to Rs19 billion if pension expenses were also counted.

The minister was replying to a question from Senator Shahadat Awan. According to him, the government is preparing a policy to cut the department’s expenses, and a detailed plan will be presented to the House later.

The proposals under consideration may include a reduction in staff or the privatisation of services.

Abdul Aleem Khan told the House that Pakistan Post runs 9,707 units across the country. These include 2,887 departmental post offices, 6,735 extra-departmental offices and 85 formations.

The province-wise breakdown put the staff number at 15,051. However, according to the minister, about 22,000 employees are currently working in the department.

The communications minister said that a large part of the department’s expenses consists of staff salaries and other costs. He added that recruitment and postings are made according to provincial quotas, and shares are distributed among the provinces under a set criterion.