ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: In an unprecedented move, the weekly news briefing, televised live every Monday afternoon, was suspended for a few minutes after a message was handed over to the Foreign Office spokesman, Masud Khan, here.

The five-minute-long break in the briefing occurred after the spokesman received a message, saying that the foreign secretary wanted to see him immediately.

The spokesman left the room after excusing himself “for a minute,” creating a stir among journalists attending the briefing.

The spokesman was facing pointed questions on the issue of sending troops to Iraq when the message from the foreign secretary arrived.

Later, it was learnt that he had been called by the foreign secretary, who had wanted him to make an announcement about the cancellation of Prime Minister Mir Zafarrullah Jamali’s visit to Saudi Arabia due to the rain-related flooding in Sindh and Balochistan.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia also sparked speculations.