14th Downing training properly known as Awami Express and 18th Downing Quetta Express were due to leave for departure of Karachi and Quetta are 9:00 A.M and Quetta Express at 8:00 A.M, but due to the protest of the railway workers they failed to steam up for their destinations as per their schedule.
The railway workers led by the leadership of Mazdoor Ittehad CBA Union took possession of the railway line and blocked the departure of the trains for their destinations.
Majority of the passengers were leaving for their native towns in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan for the celebration of Eidul Azha in their native towns.
Some of the protesting workers even lay on the railway track to stop the train.
According to an official at the booking counter at Railway Station Peshawar, the protest and delay in the departure of the train prompted a large number of passenger to cancelled their tickets and bookings the official especially mentioned the cancellation of the 21 tickets for the cities of Attock, Taxila, Rawalpindi and other cities of Punjab.
However, he was unaware of the cancellation of the tickets by the Karachi or Quetta bound passengers.
Majority of the passengers are those who are going to join their families for the celebration of Eid. But, the protest of the workers are delaying their departure, stated Mohammad Shakeel, assistant driver of the 14th Downing Karachi Cantonment bound train.
However, he was very much supportive of the protest of their colleagues.
Other categories have received their salaries, but now it was the turn of Class-III and Class-IV employees to receive their salaries.
But, the delay in the salary even on the eve of the Eidul Azha left them with no other option than taking the railway tracks to stop the service of the trains.
The president of the CBA union held negotiations with the administration of Pakistan Railways, Peshawar Division and announced ending of the protest after the arrival of the cash for the payment of salaries to the workers.
The administration was looking totally hapless before the angry protesting workers, who were not ready to budge a little than the payment of their salaries.
The protesting workers have climbed on the top of the engines, standing and sitting in front of the trains to prevent their departure.
At last the departure of 14th Down was allowed after the arrival of the cash in the accounts section of the division.
Talking on the occasion, president, Mazdoor Ittehad CBA Union, Syed Ashfaq Bacha said that the protest was observed across the country against delay in the payment o the salaries to class-III and class-IV employees of Pakistan Railways.