ISLAMABAD, June 13: Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Tuesday said that OPF Board of Governors was being reconstituted. Addressing cheque distribution ceremony of Financial Aid and Compensation Claims of Gulf war victims, he said the board would have maximum numbers of overseas Pakistanis as its members. In this way they would have their say in making policies for overseas Pakistanis

He said that restructuring of OPF was also in process, while Overseas Pakistani Advisory Council (OPAC) was being reactivated to get input from overseas Pakistanis for setting directions of OPF activities.

He said that an overseas Pakistanis investment conference was being held in September-October in Pakistan.

Housing schemes of OPF in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore are in process of development and would be in take-off position by the end of this year, he added.

He said the government would soon announce steps aimed at facilitating overseas Pakistanis. The proposed steps were being discussed with the Ministry of Finance and the CBR.

Managing Director OPF Mr Mushtaq Ahmad, Minister of State for overseas Pakistanis Mr Raza Hayat Hiraj and Federal Secretary Muhammad Aslam Sanjrani were also present on the occasion. Ghulam Sarwar Khan appreciated the federal budget terming it workers-friendly.

He said 7.5 million overseas Pakistanis were contributing $4.25 billion as foreign exchange to Pakistan, which, he said, went a long way in strengthening the economy. He said OPF had introduced financial aid scheme for the destitute families of overseas Pakistanis, who had died or who got permanently disabled during working abroad.

He said that OPF had so far distributed Rs80 million among the 3756 destitute families of Pakistani expatriates. He said that the amount limit of financial aid would be reviewed and increased soon.

Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that late claims of Gulf war victims were collected in large quantity in October 2003 but the United Nations Compensation Commission approved 830 claims and remitted $12.66 millions for disbursement among the victims.