Former SDLP leader Mr John Hume was tonight awarded India's top peace prize.
The Foyle MP, who stood down as party leader after 22 years last month, was awarded the Mahatma Ghandi Peace Prizeby the Indian government for "heralding a new era of justice, peace and reconciliation in Ireland".
Mr Hume said he was honoured to have been recognised by the Indian Government.
"I am particularly pleased to receive this award since Mahatma Ghandi was a person whom I greatly admired," he said.
"I was deeply influenced by his philosophy of non-violence and effecting change by peaceful means. I am deeply honoured to have received this award today."
Mr Hume shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble following the signing of the Belfast Agreement.
A jury chaired by the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Shri Atal Bohari Vajpayee, said the decision to confer the award on Mr Hume was unanimous.
"As the main architect of the Northern Ireland peace process, he has unequivocally opposed violence as a means of resolving conflict," the jury noted.
"He has been influenced by and frequently quotes the precepts of Mahatma Ghandi and Dr Martin Luther King."
Former South African president Mr Nelson Mandela is a former recipient of the award.
PA