FORMER Glasgow MP Mohammad Sarwar has received an honorary degree in recognition of his contribution to Scottish society.

Mr Sarwar is currently the governor of Punjab in Pakistan, where he launched an initiative to provide clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of school children and communities.

During his years as a Labour MP from 1997 until 2010, Mr Sarwar was out­spoken on human rights issues and worked on race relations and the integration of ethnic minorities.

Mr Sarwar said he was "deeply honoured and humbled" to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the West of Scotland at a ceremony in Paisley today.

"I would like to thank and pay tribute to all those who have helped me with where I am today," he said.