MANSEHRA, April 7: Staff and visitors on Saturday exited wards of the District Headquarters Hospital in Mansehra after a mysterious briefcase was found near a conference room.

An international nongovernmental organisation was scheduled to hold a meeting with staff, including doctors, at the conference room.

After getting wards vacated, the administration called in police, which showed up in minutes and piled up sandbags around the briefcase suspecting an explosive device planted in it to minimise damage to human life and property in case its explosion.Later, they shifted the briefcase to a nearby jungle, where the bomb disposable squad found it to be empty.

As a precautionary measure, vehicular traffic was diverted from Karakoram Highway next to the hospital to an alternative route after the briefcase was found. The NGO also cancelled its meeting.

District police officer of Battagram Ghulam Hussain said the briefcase was placed inside the hospital to create panic. He said police had place strict security checks in place to counter terrorism.

Meanwhile, local MNA Laiq Mohammad Khan on Saturday said he would negotiate with Mera Madakhail elders to ease tensions between the Mansehra administration and locals over anti-poppy crackdown.

“I have talked to elders of Mera Madakhail over the telephone and inquired about Thursday attack on policemen by poppy growers. They agreed to hold a meeting with me on Tuesday for dispute settlement,” Mr Khan told reporters here.

On Thursday, three policemen were injured by locals after they began destroying their poppy crops. The attack brought the anti-poppy crackdown to a halt.

Mr Khan, who was elected MNA from Mansehra 2-cum-Torghar constituency, NA-21, said he was sure that the issue over anti-poppy crackdown would be resolved peacefully.

He said the two sides would have to show flexibility to dispute resolution.

Also in the day, an elder from Torghar, Musa Khan, told reporters in Oghi that locals won’t allow anyone to disturb peace in the area.

“Majority of our people are law-abiding and will not let anyone take law in their hands by attacking police,” he said.

Meanwhile, a man was killed and three critically injured after two groups traded fire over a dispute on the ownership of a water source in Tickree village of Battagram on Saturday.

Mohammad Iqbal, a former education officer, suffered bullet injuries and died on the way to hospital.

Local police registered a murder case and began investigation.

Meanwhile, the district coordination officer on Saturday banned the entry of cleric Maulana Hanif Qureshi to Mansehra.

Mr Qureshi was to address a religious gathering in the city.

The DCO said in a news release that Mr Qureshi’s presence in Mansehra after Eid Miladun Nabi riots could cerate a law and order situation and therefore, he was stopped from entering the city.