Srinagar/UNI: A suspect object believed to be an improvised explosive device (IED) was defused along the national highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday morning, officials said.

They said a suspect object was found in the Hanjivera area of Pattan by the security forces during the Road Opening Procedure (ROP), a drill that is executed every day for securing the national highway.

Hundreds of vehicles of Army, central armed police forces (CAPFs and VVIPs) use this highway everyday.

"The area was immediately cordoned off, and the traffic movement on the busy highway was halted," officials said.

"A Bomb Disposal Squad was also called, and the suspect object, likely an IED, was blasted in a controlled explosion without causing any damage," they said.

The traffic on the highway was also restored.