ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Britain Thursday signed prisoner transfer agreement (PTA), at British High Commission here.
According to details, this agreement was inked by Pakistan’s Interior Secretary Major (Retd) Azam Suleman Khan and British High Commissioner, Thomas Drew.
State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Accountability, Shahzad Akbar also witnessed the signing ceremony.
After signing the agreement, the British HC tweeted, “I, today signed the UK-Pakistan Prisoner Transfer  Agreement – alongside Interior Minister Shehryar Afridi and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahzad Akbar.”
He went on to say, “It is an important step for both countries which will allow prisoners of each to serve their  sentences in their home country.”
As per the BHC agreement — approved in principle during British Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s visit to Pakistan in September — restores and updates a previous treaty between the UK and Pakistan, and includes strengthened assurances that all transferred prisoners will serve their appropriate sentences before being released.
It also allows inmates to prepare for reintegration into their home communities when they are eventually released from prison.
“I am delighted to sign this updated prisoner transfer agreement today which will allow prisoners to serve their sentence closer to home,” Thomas Drew, the HC said at the agreement signing ceremony.