Sri Lanka has announced the lifting of a ban imposed on the Emir-linked NGO Qatar Charity. The measure is believed to be linked to efforts to secure crude oil for the 22 million people surviving in partial-lockdown-like situations due to fuel shortages.
"Met the officials of the Qatar Charity yesterday. Conveyed the message that the Defense Ministry has informed the attorney general its decision to lift the ban on the fund which was imposed in 2019," Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Thursday.
The foundation began its operations in 2018 and expanded to eastern parts of the country. The NGO’s name cropped up during an investigation into the 2019 Easter attack in which 253 people were killed.
The government had previously declared Qatar Charity as a banned entity, accusing it of funding terrorism-related activities, a charge rejected by the Doha-headquartered organization. Since, Qatar Charity said it has worked with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure a food supply to Sri Lankan migrant workers.
Meanwhile, Colombo’s visiting minister met with Qatari ministers and other officials, discussing a possible credit line for petroleum and gas. Qatar Fund for Development has assured the minister that it will consider the proposal and back any IMF bailout package.
Sri Lanka has also invited Qatar Energy to invest in the island, which opened its retail markets for foreign firms on Tuesday.
Colombo has run out of foreign currency due to an unprecedented economic crisis, resulting in food, fuel, and medicine shortages.