NAWABSHAH, Sept 5: A large number of growers blocked the National Highway near here on Wednesday by staging a sit-in and burning tyres on the road in protest against alleged moves by the revenue department to forcibly occupy their agricultural land in Sakrand taluka.

During the protest, one Inayat Jamali, a diehard PPP worker, tried to commit self immolation after setting his motorcycle on fire. He was, however, rescued by his colleagues who took him to a Sakrand hospital.

They protesters led by Shahrukh Unnar and Inayat Jamali accused officials of the revenue department of forcing them to sell their land to the government for some project at cheap rates.

They said the officials were offering them Rs200,000 to Rs250,000 per acre of the fertile land while its current market value was Rs2 to Rs2.5 million per acre.

They warned if they were forced to sell their land then more than 40 growers would commit self immolation outside the press club in protest.