On Restoration of Murree G.P.O. November 04, 2015 (2015-07)

Murree General Post Office (GPO) is one of the most prominent historical landmarks of Pakistan's popular hilly summer town. It is deeply woven into the sociocultural milieu of the town and is considered to be the most frequented spot for tourists and visitors of all ages. Sitting majestically at a vantage point, it overlooks the famed bustling mall road of Murree.

The Murree Post Office was established in 1867. However the Post Office was built at the current location in 1904 on the land measuring 0.55 acres that was purchased from the Rajah of Kashmir state. In the British Raj the Post Office was the pivot of communications between the Murree and the garrison town of Rawalpindi, as a horse coach would exchange the mail on daily basis well into the twentieth century. The horse coach drivers were a class of men apart, who through storm & rain, torrents & hill slides, hail & snow fearlessly carried His Majisty's mails often at the risk of their lives. The Gazetter of District Rawalpindi (1893-94) noted that the Murree Post Office was a combined Post and Telegraph Office and offered telegraphic, money order and savings bank services. It was later upgraded to Head Post Office, which expanded its accounting jurisdiction to Abbottabad and Muzaffarabad. It also served as mail transit office for sub Post Offices of Hazara & Azad Kashmir. Murree Post Office also established the first ever Philatelic and tourist information in 1975. In 1983 it was upgraded to class one General Post Office under the charge of a Gazetted Postmaster.

The iconic historic GPO building has undergone numerous structural changes since the British originally built it. In 1970 the facade of the GPO was drastically altered while undergoing reconstruction and renovation. The construction of high-rise buildings in its vicinity further deteriorated the environment due to the thoughtless visual intrusions.

Restoration of Murree GPO is the part of an initiative of Government of Pakistan to preserve Murree as an heritage hill station. Under this initiative, the Prime Minister of Pakistan approved a special grant for the reconstruction of Murree GPO to its original form. Urban management unit, planning and development department, Government of punjab provided the technical assistance for the project. The restored GPO will house a national Postal museum, a cafe shop and the Post Office.

On Restoration of Murree GPO, a commemorative postage stamp of Rs.8/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on November 4, 2015.