Clarification: An earlier version of this story stated that the award was given to Shehzad Hameed Ahmad. The error is regreted.

The Fulbright Program of the United States government was recently given the Prince of Asturias Award — Spain's equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Shehzad Hameed Ahmad, a Fulbrighter from Pakistan, received the award from Spain's King Felipe Juan on behalf of the Fulbright Global Program for International Cooperation.

Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, had also been a recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award in 1992.

Shehzad Hameed Ahmad (third from right) poses for a group photo during the Prince of Asturias Award ceremony in Oviedo, Spain. — Courtesy photo/Shehzad Hameed Ahmad

The Prince of Asturias Foundation has been convening the Prince of Asturias Awards since 1981. The awards are presented at an academic ceremony held each year in Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of Asturias.

The aim of the foundation is to consolidate the existing links between the Principality and the person who bears the title of Prince or Princess of Asturias — a title which corresponds to the heir to the Spanish throne — and to contribute to promoting the scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form part of mankind's universal heritage.