ISLAMABAD, May 9: A private TV channel failed to telecast a live interview of Pakistan Muslim League-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday night without giving any specific reason leaving a large number of viewers in deep mystery as to why the interview was not telecast.

The London-based Pakistani news and current affairs channel kept on repeating the announcement throughout the day regarding live telecast of the interview of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif at 8:10pm. The TV channel in its hourly bulletin throughout the day included the announcement as part of the important headlines.

At 8pm, the newscaster said the interview would be telecast shortly. However, after that there was no interview and no announcement from the TV channel administration for more than two hours.

The announcement made by the host, Dr Shahid Masood, at about 10:45pm left the viewers in further confusion as instead of giving any reason for not telecasting the interview he vowed to "continue the struggle for the freedom of press".

"We are ashamed that we could not telecast the interview of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif," the host said, adding: "the channel since its inception three years ago has been struggling for the freedom of press and expression."

An official of the private TV channel in Pakistan, when contacted, said it was purely an editorial decision. However, he said he could not say whether this decision had been taken "due to certain pressure or there was some other reason".

When asked whether the government of Pakistan had put any pressure on the administration not to telecast the interview, he said he would not comment on that at the moment.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, when contacted, denied that the government had made any attempt to stop the TV channel from telecasting the interview.