Pakistan, Britain sign prisoner swap agreement

Pakistan and Britain signed an agreement Friday to allow inmates in each others prisons to serve their sentences in their home countries.

Islamabad, Aug.24 : Pakistan and Britain signed an agreement Friday to allow inmates in each other's prisons to serve their sentences in their home countries.

The agreement will allow some of the 428 Pakistanis imprisoned in Britain to serve their time in Pakistan, while seven British citizens convicted in Pakistan can seek transfers to British prisons, officials said.

The two countries are deepening their law enforcement cooperation, including counterterrorism efforts against extremists in Britain's Pakistani community, The News reported.

British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley said sending prisoners home would make it easier for them to maintain families' ties and remove cultural barriers that can hamper their rehabilitation.

``This is a good agreement because we have a large Pakistani community in the U.K.,'' Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said at a news conference.

``This is for the benefit of their relatives and for them also, that they come back and serve their sentence over here in this environment,'' he added.

ANI