NAWABSHAH, March 13: Enraged activists of Pakistan Muslim League blocked the National Highway at Sabu Rahu village near Sakrand after hearing news their leaders had been arrested from the premises of the sessions’ court on Thursday.

They lifted the blockade and dispersed peacefully after four hours when they learnt their leaders had reached home safe and sound.

A heavy contingent of police cordoned off the sessions court premises and closed all the main gates making it impossible for PML leaders Abdul Hafeez Unnar, son of caretaker forests minister Ghulam Rasool Unnar, and Imdad Rahu to leave the court.

They had been in the court to seek bail before arrest in a case involving murder of a Pakistan People’s Party activist.

The second additional sessions’ judge adjourned the application for confirmation of pre-arrest bail and extended to March 18 the interim bail granted to them by the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court.

As the news spread about police cordon of the court, a large number of PML activists and Rahu and Unnar tribesmen blocked the highway, smashed windowpanes of passing vehicles and punctured tyres of many others.

They also parked tractor-trolleys across the highway and burnt tyres while unknown people fired in the air at various places in Sakrand town forcing shopkeepers to close their businesses.

Abdul Hafeez Unnar told journalists in court that they were innocent. They filed an application through their counsel Ali Mohammad Dahri praying the court that the DPO should be directed to remove cordon from the court premises and provide them free passage as per law. The judge had directed the DPO to appear in court and give his comments on the cordon, said Mr Dahri.

Later, police lifted the cordon after almost eight hours and the PML leaders left the court for their respective residences.

DPO Rukhsar Khawar said that police did not cordon off the court to make any arrest. They took the measure as a security and defence strategy after receiving information about the presence of armed people in the court premises.

Medical Checkup: The district and sessions judge on Thursday ordered a medical check-up of a Hindu woman who miscarried her baby allegedly after being criminally assaulted by policemen.

The wife of Wazir Bagri, filed an application through her counsel Ali Nawaz Memon in the sessions court stating that on Tuesday, some policemen of Qazi Ahmed police station, including ASI Asghar Rahu, head constable Manzoor Solangi and four unidentified men barged into her house, severely beat her brother and mother and snatched Rs16,000 cash and other valuables.

She claimed that the accused policemen kidnapped her and took her to a police quarter of Qazi Ahmed police station in a private pick-up.

She said she was gang-raped by the policemen for two days during which she suffered a miscarriage and lost her three-month pregnancy.

She said that she was released after her mother paid Rs20,000 to the police through an influential person.

The district and sessions judge, Manzoor Subhopoto, ordered a medical check-up of the applicant.

The medico-legal officer at the Nawabshah Medical College Hospital, Dr Rehana, told Dawn that a check-up of the victim was conducted and swabs were also collected for chemical examination.

She said that initial examination revealed that the victim has had a miscarriage. However, a provisional certificate would be issued after conducting an ultrasound on Friday, she added.

ARRESTED: The excise police arrested a truck driver here on Thursday and claimed to have found 85 kilogramme of cannabis in his possession.

Police stopped the truck coming from Peshawar at a check-post near Sakrand and found 85kg cannabis hidden in the truck. They arrested the driver Jan Mohammad and lodged an FIR against him.