Ataullah Tarar says children arriving unexpectedly at studio were reason Iqbal gave for discontinuation
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday sought to quell speculation after a brief, unexpected interruption during his live television interview the previous night sparked widespread debate on social media, urging commentators to refrain from attributing political motives to the incident.
The disruption occurred on Thursday night when Iqbal joined a current affairs program hosted by anchor Waseem Badami via video link on a private news channel. While the minister was talking about the talks between the government and the opposition, the live discussion was abruptly interrupted.
During the broadcast, an unidentified person, who was not visible on the screen, was heard shouting in an aggressive tone: “Shut up,” moments before the minister’s connection was disconnected.
The sudden breakup caused concern in the studio, with the host expressing uncertainty about what had happened.
“I hope everything is okay. I don’t know what just happened,” Badami said on air. Iqbal later rejoined the show and assured viewers that “everything was fine.”
Despite the clarification during the broadcast, clips of the incident circulated widely online, fueling speculation that the interruption may have been politically motivated.
Addressing the matter early on Friday morning, the Planning Minister turned to X to explain that “a brief interruption occurred during a live broadcast when someone nearby, who was arguing, did not know I was live.” “I returned to the interview shortly afterward,” he added, urging commentators to “avoid unnecessary politicization of this.”
The clarification came in response to a post by journalist Ajmal Jami, who said he had personally spoken to the minister after seeing the clip.
“He (Iqbal) said there was a family gathering at his Islamabad residence when some children unexpectedly entered his studio. He rejoined the show soon after,” Jami’s post read.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also intervened to dispel the speculation and confirmed that he too had spoken to Iqbal.
“The kids came running to the studio unexpectedly. Everything is fine and he rejoined the show,” Tarar said.
