The Jagah is Pakistan’s premier digital literary platform — a space where stories find their home. Born as the successor to ChaiChalk, one of Pakistan’s pioneering literary startups incubated at LUMS, The Jagah carries forward a decade-long mission: to give voice to Pakistan’s storytellers.
Our Story
ChaiChalk was founded in 2015 at The Hatchery, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), by Asad Shabbir and Kiran Masood. What began as two students frustrated by the state of publishing in Pakistan grew into a movement — one that championed amateur writers, revived interest in Urdu literature, and created a digital home for Pakistani voices.
ChaiChalk earned recognition at Mobilink MYM, StartUp Weekend Lahore, and was nominated as Startup of the Year at the 2016 Startup Expo in Islamabad. It was featured in DAWN, Times of India, Scroll.in, and many other publications.
The Jagah (جگہ — meaning “a place” in Urdu) is the next chapter. We are a literary destination that publishes fiction, poetry, essays on life, culture, politics, and taboo subjects — all through a distinctly Pakistani lens. Our contributors come from across Pakistan and the global diaspora, united by a love for storytelling.
What We Publish
We publish across multiple categories including Fiction, Poetry, Life, Culture & Arts, Politics, Taboo, Entertainment, Competition pieces, and Urdu literature. From fictional pieces on lost love to essays on the politics of democracy, from appreciating the literary greats of Pakistan to debating religious taboos — The Jagah is a voice for all.
Our Mission
We believe that Pakistan’s literary heritage is among the richest in the world, and that it deserves a modern, accessible platform. The Jagah exists to provide publication opportunities for writers, to foster literary discourse, and to share Pakistani stories with the world.
Made with love. In Pakistan.