March 26, 2006	Sunday	Safar 25, 1427

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SWABI, March 25: About 1,700 affectees of the 1990 Gulf War belonging to the Swabi district have accused the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) of ignoring genuine victims and enrolling poeple only from one province for the United Nations financial assistance.

The affectees held a meeting here on Saturday under president Anjuman-i-Mutasireen Kuwait Haji Khalilur Rehman. Representatives of different political parties also attended the meeting.

They said that the UN had released $250 million in 2003 for the affectees of the Gulf war and the OPF had finalised a list of only 824 people from Pakistan and those, too, only from Punjab.

They accused the OPF of conspiring to deprive them of their dues and said not a single person enlisted for the UN compensation was from the NWFP.

Haji Khalilur Rehman said that none of the persons enlisted to receive UN money were genuine, adding that only those people had been included in the list who had bribed OPF officials.

“OPF’s bribe-hungry officials have ignored and victimised deserving former overseas employees of Kuwait, he said, adding that their financial interests had been usurped.

He declared that they would continue to struggle for their share in UN compensation as it was a question of life and death for them, adding that the future of their children depended on it.

A resolution was unanimously adopted they urged the government to solve their problems within 15 days otherwise they would stage a sit-in in the front of parliament house and stage a protest demonstration in front of the OPF offices in Islamabad .

Among others, who addressed the meeting was general secretary of the association, Mirajudin and Awami National Party leader Pervez Khan.