LAHORE – Minister of Railways Saad Rafique has said that railway operations in various parts of the country have been resumed after remaining suspended overnight.
He said the strike, called by the train drivers, has been foiled with the cooperation of the railway employees, the minister said in a statement issued here on Sunday morning.
“The passengers had to face problems due to the strike called by irresponsible drivers,” he lamented
“All trains will be en-route to their respective destinations within 48 hours,” the minister said. The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) stated that the passenger operation has been fully restored now.
The minister said 13 drivers are under arrest, and terrorism cases will be lodged against them. He said a huge amount of hard work has been done to lift back this institution on its feet, and he won’t let it convert into a ‘Landa Bazar’ (flea market). “All shabby locomotors have also been revamped, he remarked.
Earlier, around 276 train drivers had stopped their locomotives on the tracks after the Train Drivers Welfare Association called for an “indefinite strike” to press demands, which included upgrading the pay scales of railway employees, paying overtime wages, and reinstatement of sacked colleagues.
The minister said that the drivers’ demands regarding pay scales will be considered. However, the other demands were dismissed.
On this occasion, he thanked those train drivers who did not go on strike.
