Qatar Charity reopens Lanka office after ban lifted

Qatar Charity has reopened its office in Sri Lanka on Thursday.Qatar Charity is the main charitable arm of the Qatar Government, and was banned in Sri Lanka following allegations levelled by former Police Minister Sarath Weerasekara.

Then Sri Lankan authorities had named ‘Qatar Charity’ as a terrorist entity and had accused the charity of funding terrorism related activities in relation to the prominent case of lawyer Hijaz Hizbullah.

The ban was later lifted when Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara met Qatar officials in Qatar.

“At the launch of the country office today, Qatar Charity announced humanitarian aid worth US$ 11.7 million for the year 2023.This will be allocated to identified areas as per the state’s requirements.Thank you Qatar Charity for stepping up to support the vulnerable,” Foreign Minister Ali Sabry tweeted after attending the reopening ceremony of the Qatar Charity Office in Sri Lanka on Thursday.