Ahsan Iqbal briefly drops off live TV interview, says ‘all is well’ after return

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal briefly dropped out of a live television interview on Thursday when his video link abruptly cut, before returning moments later to reassure viewers that “all is well”.

During the interruption, a voice could be heard saying, “shut this down (bund karo isay),” as the minister’s video feed went offline. When Iqbal reappeared, the programme host welcomed him back and said viewers had been alarmed by the sudden disconnect, with some asking whether everything was okay.

Responding on air, Iqbal said “all is well”, after which the host chose not to pursue the matter further and resumed the discussion, noting that only eight to ten minutes of the programme remained.

Later, in a clarification posted on X, Iqbal thanked people for their concern and said a brief disruption occurred because “someone nearby having an argument was unaware that I was live on air”. He added that he rejoined the interview shortly afterwards and expressed hope that the incident would not be unnecessarily politicised.

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The clip of the interruption subsequently circulated on social media, prompting varying claims about what had occurred. Some users alleged that the video connection was forcibly ended during the live broadcast.

A journalist later said on X that he spoke to Iqbal, who explained that a family gathering was taking place at his Islamabad residence and that children unexpectedly entered his study, leading to the brief disruption. He added that the minister quickly rejoined the programme and that the host could confirm the explanation.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also posted that he had spoken to Iqbal, saying that children had run into the study unexpectedly and reiterating that “all is well”.