Matiullah Jan

Matiullah Jan is a Pakistani journalist and author who reports from the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He currently hosts the program Sahafi on Neo News and manages his independent YouTube channel, MJtv. Throughout his career, he has focused on legal affairs, governance, and media ethics.

Early life and education

Matiullah Jan was born in 1969 into a military family. His father served as an officer in the Pakistan Army. He briefly attended the Pakistan Military Academy before deciding to pursue journalism instead. During his university years, he hosted news shows at the FM Angel Radio station.

Jan specialized in conflict reporting during his studies. His dissertation subject was "Racist Organisations: A Journalistic Dilemma," which served as a case study of the British National Party. He also produced a radio documentary regarding the victory of the British National Party in local elections to fulfill his Master's requirements. He later earned a master's degree in defence and strategic studies from Quaid-i-Azam University. Following this, he attended City, University of London as a Chevening Scholar for the 2001–02 academic year to complete a master's degree in international journalism.

Career

Jan began his professional journey in the mid-1990s. He worked at Radio Pakistan and The Frontier Post before serving as a reporter for News Network International. He also worked for Pakistan Television (PTV), where he was one of the first journalists to move from print media to TV camera reporting before the private media era emerged in 2002. At PTV, he produced news packages in both Urdu and Arabic languages.

After his studies in the United Kingdom, Jan joined Dawn News in the late 2000s. He served as a special correspondent covering the Supreme Court and the judicial crisis involving the lawyers' movement. During this time, he also contributed exclusive stories to Dawn Newspapers. He launched "APNA GAREBAN," a television show focused on the unethical practices of journalists. The program was shut down after 10 episodes due to editorial pressure and protests from media bodies. Jan left Dawn News in 2012.

He later joined Waqt News to host an investigative talk show regarding corruption and the rule of law. While at Waqt News, he also wrote opinion columns for Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation. In September 2017, unidentified assailants threw a brick through his car windshield near Islamabad while he was driving with his children. He was sacked from Waqt News in 2018 and subsequently launched the MJtv YouTube channel.

In July 2020, Jan was abducted in Islamabad outside his wife's workplace. Armed men forced him into a vehicle, and he was released 12 hours later while blindfolded on the outskirts of the city. This abduction occurred one day before he was scheduled to appear in court for a contempt case. In 2023, he returned to television as the host of Sahafi on Neo News. In November 2024, Jan was detained in Islamabad and charged with terrorism and drug possession. He denied these allegations, claiming they were fabricated after he was detained while covering a protest.

Personal life

Matiullah Jan is married to Kaneez Sughra. He is based in Islamabad.

Awards and recognition

Jan received significant recognition during his tenure at PTV. He was the first contract resource person at the station to win the PTV National Award for Best News correspondent. He earned this distinction for the years 1999 and 2000.