Export of petrol to Kabul on 'no profit no loss' basis: National Assembly informed

The petrol is being exported to Afghanistan on 'no profit no loss' basis whereas 20,000 tons diesel was supplied to coalition forces in 2007-08, informed Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi while responding to a question in Lower House.
He said that for the last three years, petrol is being supplied to Afghanistan on no profit no loss basis. "During 2005-06, the total petrol exported was 4,715 tons, in 2006-07 the quantity increased to 12,784 tons while now in 2007-08, it was 6,845 tons", he disclosed.
About the export of diesel, the minister said that in 2005-06, total diesel export was 60,000 tons. In 2006-07, the quantity was 33,000 tons while during 2007-08, 20,000 tons diesel was exported to coalition forces in Afghanistan.
"We do not have any plan to export diesel to Afghanistan during 2008-09 as she is already getting it at cheaper rates from Iran", Makhdoom said.
While responding to a question, Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Minister for Environment said that it was true that timber mafia was to be held responsible for funding militancy in NWFP and Fata but the federal government in collaboration with the provincial governments has started taking the matter seriously.
"We are making a new forest policy and the summary in this regard would soon be moved to the Cabinet", the minister said.
"For the first time, the government has gathered official information on non-forestry uses of forest land in all the provinces. The ministry is also putting up a summary to the Prime Minister to issue directives for stopping conversion of forest lands into non-forestry uses", he explained.
The minister added, "The ban imposed in 1992 on commercial harvesting of forests has not been lifted while 0.155 million hectares of forest area has already been transferred to non-forestry land".
Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Communications, Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal told the House that the government has completed the inquiry report on collapse of Sher Shah Northern By-pass bridge by the Prime Minister's Inspection Commission (PMIC) and the action on the report is in process.
"The total cost of damaged portion was Rs 90 million. The design of the bridge approved by the company named 'ECIL' was faulty. The action against the responsible persons is in process in consultation with ministry of law and justice", the secretary added. He said that no case of embezzlement in the issuance of National Saving Certificates by Pakistan Post has been unearthed during 2005-06 yet a case regarding corruption of Rs 50,000 in Defence Saving Certificate was registered in Sindh and the government has taken action against the culprits involved in it.
"We have planned to convert the 4-lane Karachi-Hyderabad Superhighway into a 6-lane Motorway (M9) with total budget of Rs 200 million", the minister added in reply to a supplementary. He said that presently, 40 development projects of National Highway Authority (NHA) are ongoing while five projects under National Highway Improvement Programme (NHIP) were undertaken in Sindh during the last five years.