ISLAMABAD, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and Britain signed an agreement Thursday on the transfer of prisoners, according to a statement of the British embassy in Pakistan.

The statement from the British High Cimmission to Pakistan said the Britain-Pakistan Prisoner Transfer Agreement was signed on by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew and Pakistan Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan.

The agreement will give prisoners the opportunity to serve their sentence closer to home and allows them to prepare for their reintegration into their home community when they are eventually released from prison.

The agreement was approved in principle during the visit of British Home Secretary Sajid Javid to Pakistan in September.

"It restores and updates a previous agreement between the UK and Pakistan, and also includes strengthened assurances to ensure all transferred prisoners serve the appropriate sentence before being released," the statement said.