ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said on Sunday that the decision to ban the extremist groups was right, and that whoever transgressed the law will be punished.

“Whoever transgresses the law, whether he is the prime minister or anybody else, will be punished,” the prime minister said while talking to journalists at an Iftar dinner hosted by Syed Anwer Mehmood, the secretary information, for journalists at the PTV headquarters.

He said the government had taken the right decision of banning the extremist organizations, which had relaunched themselves under different names after they were banned last year.

About banning of other similar organizations, the prime minister said there was a possibility of their being banned.

“Whoever will violate the law, we will take action against him.”

He said he was trying to ensure an environment in the country free of terrorism and extremism.

When asked about details of the allegations against the banned groups, Mr Jamali said it was an executive decision and the right one. “It is not necessary to reveal the details of every executive decision.”

On his government’s one-year performance, he said perhaps he could not do as much as he wanted to do for the country and its people. “But we certainly succeeded in changing the political culture. During this one year, decency, honesty, humbleness, and tolerance prevailed in politics.”

To a question about private sector investment in Pakistan, the prime minister said that he met the entrepreneurs on Saturday and offered them maximum incentives if they chose to invest in the country.

He said their response was very good, and he hoped that fresh investment would start flowing in.

The prime minister said that his government was striving to eradicate poverty and taking all possible measures in this regard.

About talks with the MMA, the prime minister said that he had heard Qazi Hussain Ahmed talking about some kind of deadline. “We don’t believe in deadlines but we want a live line to communicate.”

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, DG ISPR Major General Shaukat Sultan, Pemra chairman Mian Javed and other senior officials of the ministry of information also attended the function.—APP