SIALKOT, May 23: A widow, Safia Bibi, and her four daughters have sought government protection against some influential people who had allegedly humiliated and subjected them to severe physical torture over a property dispute at Kotli Lundi Motra village in Daska Tehsil.

The victims have appealed to Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and the IG police that they be provided security against the threats being hurled by the accused party to hush up the matter.

They said the accused were still at large and the Motra police were reluctant to arrest them because of pressure from some local politicians.

Talking to journalists at Daska civil hospital, Safia Bibi and her daughters Farzana, Bushra (a constable in Islamabad police), Saba and Yasmeen said the influential accused had made their lives miserable and were not allowing them to return to their home in the village.

Instead of arresting the nominated accused, the police were forcing the torture victims to reconcile with the accused party, she alleged, saying the accused wanted to grab the agricultural land belonging to the family.

The widow urged the provincial high-ups to direct District Police Officer Usama Mumtaz Raja to ensure early arrest of the accused.

According to the FIR, on May 20, five armed men, Muhammad Bashir, Khalid Farooq, Amjad Ali, Muhammad Arshad and Muhammad Mansha, allegedly stormed into the house of Safia Bibi, made hostage the women at gunpoint, dragged them out of their house, and tore their clothes. The woman and her daughter were also badly tortured with hockey sticks and butts of guns by the accused, the FIR said.

The girls received severe head injuries and fell unconscious. The accused also took away gold ornaments worth thousands of rupees from the house. The injured were admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the duty doctors at hospital said that the condition of Safia Bibi and her two daughters (Saba and Yasmeen) was stable, while two other girls were stated to be serious as, besides head injuries, their hands, legs and arms were fractured.

Both the girls were being referred to the Allama Iqbal Hospital and Lahore General Hospital owing to their critical condition.

When contacted, the DPO Usama Mumtaz Raja said that special police teams were raiding various places for the early arrest of the accused and hoped they would be held within next 24 hours.