Ataullah Tarar says that children running unexpectedly into the investigation, the reason Iqbal gave for the disturbance
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal sought to quell speculation on Friday after a brief and unexpected disruption during his live television interview the previous evening sparked widespread debate on social media, urging commentators to refrain from attaching political motives to the incident.
The disruption occurred on Thursday evening when Iqbal was participating in a current affairs program hosted by anchorperson Waseem Badami via video link on a private news channel. When the minister spoke about 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, could be heard shouting in an aggressive tone, “Shut up here,” moments before the minister was disconnected.
The sudden break caused concern in the studio, with the host expressing uncertainty about what had happened.
“I hope everything is fine. I don’t know what just happened,” Badami said on air. Iqbal later rejoined the program and assured viewers that “everything was fine”.
Despite the clarification during the broadcast, clips of the incident circulated widely online, fueling speculation that the disruption may have been politically motivated.
Speaking on the matter early on Friday morning, the planning minister took to X to explain that “there was a brief disturbance during a live broadcast when someone nearby who was having an argument didn’t realize I was live on air”. “I attended the interview again shortly after,” he added, urging commentators to “avoid unnecessary politicization of this”.
The clarification came in response to a post by senior journalist Ajmal Jami, who said he had personally spoken to the minister after watching the clip.
“He (Iqbal) said there was a family gathering at his residence in Islamabad when children unexpectedly entered his study. He rejoined the show soon after,” Jami’s post said.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also weighed in to quell speculation and confirmed that he had also spoken to Iqbal.
“Barn came into the studio unexpectedly. All is well and he has rejoined the show,” Tarar said.
