Humza Yousaf faces questions over Qatar meetings

THE SNP’s international development minister is under pressure to reveal his activities on a three-day trip to Qatar after his ministerial diary omitted details of his visit to the Gulf state that faces allegations of human rights abuses in preparation for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

Humza Yousaf MSP. Picture: John Devlin

Humza Yousaf’s record of day-to-day engagements failed to record any meetings during his visit to Qatar, which the government billed as “strengthening Scotland’s economic, diplomatic and cultural links” with the country.

The row came as the SNP faced criticism over its failure to call for a boycott of the Scotland-Qatar game in Edinburgh tonight.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay called on Mr Yousaf to state his activities in Qatar during the trip in May 2013 in light of “very serious concerns about its human rights record”.

Mr Findlay said: “Qatar is currently under the spotlight because of very serious concerns about its human rights record and the treatment of workers building World Cup stadia.

“The public are very concerned about this and the Minister should, in the interest of transparency, immediately publish the details of who he met when in Qatar and why met them.”

A Scottish Government spokesman last night said the failure to state full details of Mr Yousaf’s engagements was a “clerical error” and the information would be made public within the next 24 hours.