Minister of Railways Saad Rafique on Sunday morning said that railway operations in various parts of the country had resumed after remaining suspended overnight.

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.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that the "irresponsibility" of the drivers participating in the strike had caused problems for the passengers, adding that the strike had upset the train schedule. However, trains will now begin to depart and arrive on time, he said.

The minister said that the drivers' demands regarding pay scales would be considered. The other demands, however, were dismissed.

Regarding the drivers' demand for the reinstatement of sacked colleagues, the minister said that it was not possible because they had been fired after a number of lives were lost in accidents due to their negligence.

"No trains are suspended due to the strike right now," said the minister.

A number of drivers who had participated in last night's protests were arrested after operations resumed. However, the exact number of those arrested remains unclear; Rafique claimed that 13 were arrested, while the drivers' association said that 30 drivers had been taken into custody.

A First Information Report was registered against the drivers at the railway police station in Rawalpindi under the Anti-Terrorism Act, a Pakistan Railways spokesperson said.

The spokesperson termed the protest a "criminal act" and said that the drivers were attempting to "blackmail" the administration into accepting their demands.