Islamabad Police have introduced a revised leave policy guaranteeing at least one day of rest each week for every officer and official, while simplifying procedures for obtaining leave.
The new policy, issued by the Islamabad inspector general of police on October 23, replaces all previous directives, including the leave regulations introduced in 2022, according to an official order reported by Dawn on Sunday.
The revised framework delegates authority to approve different categories of leave to designated officers according to their ranks, with the aim of making the approval process more accessible to police personnel.
Under the new arrangements, every police officer and official must receive at least one day of weekly rest, which will not be deducted from their leave entitlement.
Special provisions have also been introduced for personnel serving in Islamabad who belong to distant regions of the country.
“Officers and officials belonging to remote districts of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and erstwhile Fata, may opt for either one day of weekly rest or seven days’ rest after every 45 days of duty, or 14 days’ rest after every 90 days of duty,” the order stated.
The arrangement allows eligible personnel to accumulate rest days, making it easier for those living far from Islamabad to travel home.
The policy also establishes provisions for marriage leave.
Male police employees will ordinarily be eligible for 10 days of marriage leave, while female personnel may receive one month, subject to approval by the relevant authority.
The regulations additionally cover maternity, paternity and medical leave, with approval powers assigned to officers according to their designated authority and rank.
To ensure that police operations are not disrupted by staff shortages, the new policy sets limits on the proportion of personnel who may be absent on leave simultaneously.
No more than 10 per cent of personnel in a unit or office may take casual leave at the same time.
For earned leave and ex-Pakistan leave combined, the maximum permitted absence has been fixed at 3 per cent of the unit or office’s total strength.
The revised policy seeks to balance personnel welfare with operational requirements by guaranteeing regular rest, providing clearer leave entitlements and distributing approval responsibilities across different levels of police command.