The talk show hosted by Egyptian journalist and TV personality Ibrahim Eissa on the privately-owned "Al Qahera Wel Nas" channel has been cancelled, the channel and Eissa announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the TV channel said that Eissa resigned from "With Ibrahim Eissa" to "lay off some workload and have time to focus on projects and creative writing in the coming period."

However, Eissa's statement, also released on Sunday, did not clearly state if he resigned or if the show was suspended.

Eissa is known for being highly critical of the government. He added that the great impact and success of the show "placed heavy burdens, subjecting me to hot water and surrounding pressure."

"I accept that this is the suitable moment to stop the show; I think that events would lead me to postpone TV expression to another stage and time. Perhaps it may come," Eissa said.

The Channel said it has “great respect and appreciation for Ibrahim Eissa's character and history and for his efforts to enrich the national dialogue by showcasing different opinions."

Eissa, who was a staunch opponent of former autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, is currently the editor in chief of Al-Maqal newspaper.

In May 2014, before his election, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was co-hosted by Eissa and TV presenter Lamees Al-Hadidi in his first ever television interview. 

The media figure also held a number of editorial positions as the editor in-chief of El-Tahrir newspaper, which he resigned from in 2015. He has hosted a number of TV shows after Egypt’s 2011 January revolution and published a number of books.