Debut author Jamil Ahmad and journalist and novelist Mohammed Hanif were among the six writers shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for 2013, when the names were revealed late Tuesday.

The six names were shortlisted by the jury in London from the longlist of 16 authors and besides the two names from Pakistan, three

Ahmad’s debut book “The Wandering Falcon” serves as a collection of short stories from the Pak-Afghan tribal regions, with its main focus on the revolt-hit province of Balochistan, where he served as a government officer in the 1950s. The book has received critical acclaim from writers and reviewers since its publication in 2011.

Journalist and novelist Hanif received his first nomination for the DSC Prize when his name was included in the 2013 longlist for his second novel “Our Lady of Alice Bhatti.”  The novel, a narrative focussed on a Christian nurse and her relationship with a patient who turns out to be a goon, has remained immensly popular since its published late last year.

The winner will receive $50,000 when the prize is announced at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 on January 25.

A five-member jury, chaired by the former chief executive of India’s National Academy of Letters K. Satchidanandan, deliberated over the 16 names.

“The six shortlisted books from different countries represent the diversity of South Asian fiction in terms of theme as well as idiom. We were looking for works which are thematically fresh, stylistically innovative and are a definitive contribution to novel as a genre,” Satchidanandan said in a statement.