Orya Maqbool Jan

Orya Maqbool Jan (اوریا مقبول جان) is a Pakistani columnist, anchor, poet, playwright and former civil servant of BPS-21 grade.

He used to appear as an analyst on Neo News television show Harf-e-Raaz.

Personal life
During an interview, Orya Maqbool Jan revealed that he had a love-marriage with a student at the college where he used to teach.

On 13 May 2023, he was arrested from his house in a crackdown on PTI leaders and their supporters.

Controversies
In 2018, following Mehmood-ur-Rasheed suggestion of Jan as PTI's candidate for the post of Punjab caretaker chief minister, social media users criticized the party for considering Jan due to his controversial reputation. Subsequently, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry acknowledged that Jan's name had been brought up for discussion but later retracted the suggestion, ultimately dropping Jan from consideration for the position.

In 2018, his visa application to Norway was rejected due to his negative comments regarding the Ahmadiyya and Jewish communities.

While serving as deputy commissioner in Balochistan, Jan was noted for his favorable portrayal of the Taliban.

In 2019, PEMRA imposed a 30-day ban on the airing of "Harf-i-Raaz" a program hosted by Jan on Neo TV, citing rule violations. Reports indicate that during the program, Jan made derogatory remarks about Pakhtuns and engaged in a conversation with a spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, seeking their perspectives on Pakistan's domestic and foreign policies.

In 2021, reports emerged indicating that Jan was among the beneficiaries who received residential plots in Islamabad's F-14 and F-15 sectors. The Islamabad High Court expressed regret over the allotment of plots at subsidized rates, citing a potential loss of Rs1 trillion to the public exchequer.

He was known for frequently criticizing the Aurat March movement, suggesting that he believes the movement poses a threat to Islamic society.

Books
Some of his publications include:
 * Ḥarf-i Rāz, Lahore : Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2005-2013, 1616 p. (in 5 volumes). Essays on deteriorating political conditions in Pakistan.
 * Qāmat : Shāʻirī, Lahore : Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2011, 144 p. Urdu poetry.
 * Mujhe Hai Hukm-i Az̲ān̲ : Z̤arb-i-Muʼmin Shāʼiʻ Hone Vāle Kālam, Lahore : Ilm-o-Irfan Publishers, 2012, 336 p. Author's collected columns on various international political issues, published in weekly Z̤arb-i muʼmin Karachi during 2004-06.