Islamabad police introduce weekly day off — Dawn

Islamabad police in Pakistan have introduced a new leave policy under which every employee must receive at least one weekly day off. This day will not be counted as leave. The relevant order, dated October 23, was issued by the Islamabad inspector general of police, Dawn reports.

New leave rules

The document delegates authority to approve leave to officials at different levels and repeals previous instructions, including the 2022 policy. Male police officers will generally be granted 10 days of marriage leave, while women will receive one month, subject to approval by the competent authority.

Personnel from remote areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and the former FATA, will be able to choose between one weekly day off, seven days of rest after 45 days of service, or 14 days after 90 days of service.

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Restrictions and special leave

At the same time, no more than 10% of personnel will be able to take short-term leave. The combined limit for earned leave and leave for travel outside Pakistan is 3% of the strength of a unit or office.

The policy also provides for leave related to pregnancy and childbirth, paternity, and health conditions. Employees taking central or provincial civil service examinations may be granted up to 20 days of leave, while up to 15 days may be granted for attending interviews.

The order states that leave is not an unconditional right: it may be denied or cancelled in the interests of the department or due to service requirements. The policy was prepared after consultations with police officers of various ranks; proposals for its further improvement are to be submitted through the established procedure.