Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal reacted to the speculation surrounding the brief disruption of his interview with ARY News’ Waseem Badami the previous night, saying, “I hope we can avoid unnecessary politicisation of this”.
On Thursday night, the minister joined ARY News programme ‘11th Hour’, which was being broadcast live, via a video link.
As the minister discussed the matter of talks between the government and the opposition, the conversation was disrupted when a person — not seen in the video — yelled in an aggressive tone, “Shut this”.
Following that, Iqbal’s call was disconnected.
It prompted the host to wonder aloud if Iqbal was alright.
“I hope everything is well. I don’t know what just happened,” he said.
Later, the minister rejoined the programme, confirming that “all was well”.
The incident sparked widespread speculation across social media, with many people suggesting that it was political in nature.
The planning minister, however, clarified on X early today morning that “a brief disruption occurred during a live broadcast when someone nearby, having an argument, was unaware that I was live on air.“
“I rejoined the interview shortly afterward,” he added, calling on people to “avoid unnecessary politicisation of this.”
The minister said this in a reply to a post made by journalist Ajmal Jami, who confirmed that he had spoken to Iqbal after watching the clip of the incident.
“He (Iqbal) said there was a family gathering at his Islamabad residence when children unexpectedly entered his study. He rejoined the show shortly after,” Jami’s post said.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar also confirmed that he had spoken to Iqbal, stating that “kids came into the study running unexpectedly. All is well, and he has rejoined the show”.
