World Post Day: remembering where it all started from
MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
'Stop! Oh yes, wait a minute, Mr. Postman, Wait, Wait Mr.
Postman, Please Mr. Postman look and see, If there's a letter in your bag for
me, Why's it takin' such a long time, For me to hear from that boy of mine.
There must be some word today, From my boyfriend, So far away, Please Mr.
Postman Look and see, If there's a letter, A letter for me'. Many of us have
heard this classic hit song of 1960's from Marvelettes pleading postman to
deliver letter from her beloved.
With the same urge of Marvelettes, World Post Day is going to be
observed throughout the world including Pakistan today (Thursday) to create and
maintain a structure for the free flow of international mail around the world.
World Post Day is celebrated every year on October 9 and it commemorates
founding of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland
Capital.
Today,
across the world, post offices are celebrating this special day in many
different ways. This includes special philatelic exhibitions, free entrance in
postal museums, introducing new products and services, seminars, workshops and
more.
From
the earliest times in history, 'postal services' existed in the form of
messengers who travelled large distances on foot or horseback. In the 1600s and
1700s, many countries set up national postage systems and entered into
bilateral agreements for the exchange of mail between countries.
By
late 1800s, there was a large web of bilateral agreements that made
distribution of international mail complicated, nontransparent and inefficient.
In
1863, Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General in the United States of America,
organized a conference of representatives from 15 European and American
countries.
During
this conference, delegates laid down a number of general principles for mutual
agreements on international postal services but did not create an international
postal agreement.
On
September 15, 1874, Heinrich von Stephan, a senior postal official in the North
German Confederation (an area that now forms parts of Germany, Poland and
Russia), opened a conference in Berne, Switzerland, with delegates from 22
countries.
On
October 9, 1874, the delegates signed the Treaty of Berne and established the
General Postal Union.
Number
of countries that were members of the General Postal Union grew rapidly and the
union's name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878.
In
1948, the Universal Postal Union became a specialized agency of the United
Nations. The 16th Universal Postal Union Congress was held in Tokyo, Japan,
from October 1 to November 16, 1969. During this conference the delegates voted
to declare October 9 each year as World Post Day.
Postal
Staff College: On the day, various organizations will hold functions at Postal
Staff Collage, G-8/4 Islamabad, to celebrate the World Post Day, where Senior
Postal Executives and heads of other departments will participate.
Other
activities that will take places include presentation of Universal Postal Union
(UPU) documentary, reading out message of D.G. UPU presentations, songs by a
group school children, acting play of selected song containing the theme of UPU
written by Additional Director General (Operational) Fazli Sattar Khan.
The
ministry will also distribute aid packets among flood-affected postal employees
in different parts of the country. Musical performance by Ustad Raees Ahmad
Khan & group, speech by chief guest and also presentation of souvenirs to
Turkish ambassador and chief guest by the chairman Abdul Hameed will be
hallmarks of the ceremony.
So, go out, buy some postcards or some nice letter paper and
write to all your friends and family; remind them that the post is a very
important part of our lives. Happy World Post Day!
Also published in Daily Times
http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/islamabad/09-Oct-2010/please-mr-postman
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