Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a prisoner transfer agreement allowing foreign inmates in both countries to serve their sentences closer to home.

Interior Secretary retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan and British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew signed the UK-Pakistan Prisoner Transfer Agreement in Islamabad.

According to the British High Commission, the 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.

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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," Drew, the high commissioner, said at the agreement signing ceremony.

"This is a testament to the strength of the two countries’ relationship.”