HYDERABAD, Jan 5 Activists of the Taraqqi Pasand Nari Tehrik staged a sit-in on National Highway bypass and another group of people staged a protest demonstration in front of the press club here on Monday to protest the kidnapping of Abdul Ghani Turk and his four daughters from Shalimar Bungalows.

Carrying placards and banners, the protesters called for the arrest of the accused. They regretted that four days had passed but police had not arrested the kidnappers of the girls and their aged father.

According to an FIR lodged by Umair Ghani, the son of Abdul Ghani, the kidnappings were in reaction to his brother, Raheem Turk's marriage to Sadaf, the daughter of Manzoor Panwhar, a resident of Larkana, in Sept 2007 against the will of her parents. The couple had been living in different areas to avoid any possible reaction from the girl's family.

Four days ago, over half a dozen people struck at Turk's house and held the watchman hostage. “First, they confirmed if it was Turk's residence before forcing their way into the house,” said senior investigating officer, Javed Sheikh.

They manhandled Abdul Ghani's son Umair Ghani and then kidnapped his sisters, who were sleeping on the upper storey of the house and 65-year-old Abdul Ghani.

The girls are identified as Sarosh, 26, Sadaf, 22, Sahar, 20, and Mahreen, 19. Sahar and Mahreen were scheduled to get married on Dec 26 but their marriage was delayed on account of Muharram.