ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Thursday inked a prisoner transfer agreement giving inmates the opportunity to serve their sentence closer to home.
The UK-Pakistan Prisoner Transfer Agreement was signed by the British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and Pakistan Interior Secretary Major (R) Azam Suleman Khan.
Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar and other officials also attended the agreement signing ceremony.
The pact “allows them [prisoners] to prepare for their reintegration into their home community when they are eventually released from prison,” read the statement.
https://twitter.com/TomDrewUK/status/1078213758474956801
“I am delighted to sign this updated prisoner transfer agreement today, which will allow prisoners to serve their sentence closer to home,” the British high commissioner said at the ceremony.
“This is a testament to the strength of the two countries’ relationship.”
According to the British High Commission, the agreement was approved in principle when British Home Secretary Sajid Javid visited Pakistan in September
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/cabinet-gives-green-signal-for-prisoner-exchange-pact-with-uk/
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet had approved the agreement pertaining to the exchange of prisoners with the United Kingdom.
The approval for the agreement with the UK came after Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar visited Britain in October and called of British Home Secretary Sajid Javid in London.
Akbar had discussed matters pertaining to the provision of mutual legal assistance, extradition requests, prisoner transfer agreement and measures to eliminate money laundering.