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Updated September 9th, 2019 at 10:00 IST

Pakistan woos investors using belly dancers at Azerbaijan Summit

Pakistani journalist Gul Bukhari, on Saturday, tweeted out a video of a belly dancer performing at the Pakistan Investment Promotion Conference in Azerbaijan

Pakistan
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While Pakistan's economy is crumbling, the country has adopted desperate measures to woo investors into the nation - belly dancers.

Pakistan 'dances' into investors' hearts

Pakistani journalist Gul Bukhari, on Saturday, tweeted out a video of a belly dancer performing at the Pakistan Investment Promotion Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Investment Opportunities Conference' was held at Baku from September 4 to 8. Bukhari, who attended the event pointed out that while the Summit was aimed at attracting investors to invest in Pakistan different ventures, it was the belly dancers which took all the spotlight. The summit was organised by Pakistan's Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

Read | Pakistan team to meet with FATF on terror financing in Bangkok

The video shared by Bukhari shows a belly dancer performing on stage at the Business Excellence Award Ceremony. Visuals also show an attendee filming the belly dancer's dance, caught on the big screen. The oddly out-of place dancers at the Investment Summit was highlighted by Bukhari. She expressed her disappointment in the General Doctrine Chief Economist's tactics to lure investors.

READ | Pakistan FO clarifies Imran Khan's 'won't use nukes first' statement

Netizens have expressed their dismay at Pakistan's 'dance tactics' :

READ | Imran Khan raises nuclear war anew while saying 'Pak won't nuke first'

Pakistan rushes to Bangkok

Pakistan is currently staring at an acute financial crisis after being put into an 'enhanced blacklist' by the financial watchdog FATF (Financial Action Task Force). To appeal to the FATF, a team from Pakistan has left for Bangkok on Sunday for a face to face meeting with the FATF for a final evaluation of its anti-money laundering and terror-financing report. The team includes 20 members led by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhardia. It has a few members from the Federal Investigation Agency, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Anti Narcotics Force and intelligent agencies.

READ | Pakistan submits compliance report to FATF

Repercussions of 'Grey list' and 'Blacklist' 

If Pakistan will stay on the greylist or is blacklisted, it will be facing a financial downgrade and restrictions on its markets. It will also have a tough time managing capital inflows from IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other agencies. This would also include servicing its debt that adds up to about 25% of the government’s revenues at present. Imran Khan-led Pakistan was earlier placed in grey-list by the FATF after mounting pressure from the US, France, Germany, UK over its lack of action against terror-funding. 

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Published September 9th, 2019 at 09:44 IST

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