Islamabad Police introduced a 2026 leave policy that makes a weekly rest day compulsory for all officers and staff.
The new framework also defines entitlements, approval authority and rules for medical leave, religious travel, marriage and examinations.
Inspector General Muhammad Sohail Chaudhry, speaking for the police, said the policy was introduced to improve welfare and ordered its immediate rollout across every division.
The revised scheme covers casual, earned, medical and other leave categories, aiming to meet personnel needs while preserving departmental discipline.
Under the rule, each police officer and employee will receive one day of rest per week, counted separately from other leave balances.
Units may not allow more than 10% of their staff to take casual leave simultaneously, and only 3% may be on leave outside Pakistan.
Personnel stationed in distant districts can take seven days of leave after 45 days of service, or 14 days after 90 days.
Who Can Approve Police Leave?
Approval authority is spread across command levels.
Station house officers may sanction up to three days of casual leave for constables through head constables.
Deputy superintendents of police can approve casual leave of up to five days.
Senior superintendents of police may grant three days of casual leave to inspectors and SHOs.
The spokesperson's statement says superintendents of police have full casual-leave approval for ranks from constable to sub-inspector, while an infographic notes SPs can approve three days for constable to inspector.
Deputy inspectors general can approve all leave categories for personnel from constable to inspector.
At the highest level, the Islamabad IG can approve casual leave for all ranks and earned leave for officers up to the SP and DSP ranks; an infographic also lists the IG as the authority for DSP and SP requests.
Hajj, Umrah and Medical Leave
The policy grants 45 days for Hajj and 21 days for Umrah or other religious trips.
It also provides medical leave based on health needs, with the spokesperson noting revisions to medical and other leave rules as part of the broader policy.
Marriage and Examination Leave
Female officers receive one month of marriage leave, while male personnel get 10 days.
Those sitting for CSS and PCS exams may obtain up to 20 days of leave, with an additional 15 days allowed for interview travel.
Chaudhry instructed all divisions to implement the policy without delay.
He emphasized that police welfare and departmental discipline remain top priorities, and the revised framework considers officers' needs while clarifying approval procedures.
