Quick Facts
Biography
Matiullah Jan (Urdu: مطیع اللہ جان) is a senior Pakistani journalist and YouTuber.
Background
Jan has worked for several media outlets in Pakistan. He is known for his criticism of the Pakistani government.
Due to his criticism on establishment he has been allegedly threatened many times. Matiullah Jan was sacked from Waqt News, where he was working as an anchor. This was allegedly due to pressure from security agencies. He currently runs his own YouTube channel.
Controversy
Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of a tweet by Jan that was critical of the judiciary, and initiated contempt proceedings against him.
Abduction and release
In July, 2020, Jan was kidnapped from outside a public school. This school is located in Sector G-6, of Islamabad. He had gone to drop off his teacher wife there. CCTV footage showed that he was forcibly removed from his car and beaten by persons in uniform as well as plainclothes. His captors released him 12 hours later. Jan has implicated the security establishment for his kidnapping.
Publications
He has authored or co-authored the following publications:
- Guaranteeing Copyright: Media Manager's Guide to Pakistani Broadcast Law, Internews, 2004.
- Media in Pakistan, Growing Space, Shrinking Freedoms: Annual Report on State of Media Freedoms in Pakistan, Internews, 2005.
- Watching the Watchdog, How Pakistan is Front Paged and Headlined? : a Report on Trends in Pakistani Media, Centre for Civic Education Pakistan, 2006.