HYDERABAD, Jan 10: Four sisters and their father who were kidnapped about a week ago have been recovered from the farmhouse of a former Sindh Auqaf minister.

The Hyderabad police conducted a raid on the farm house in Jherruk, Thatta district and safely recovered the hostages.

Police produced the sisters and their father before the newsmen at the CIA centre on Saturday.

The girls and their elderly father were reportedly kidnapped by the relatives of Sadaf Panwhar who had married Raheem Turk in a court in Sept 2007 of her own accord.

Sadaf is said to be the daughter of a former commissioner income tax, Manzoor Panwhar.

After she married Raheem Turk, her family had lodged a kidnapping case against her husband, who subsequently went underground with his wife.

Her brothers, Owais and Rashid Panwhar and their friend, Shahid Birhamani kidnapped four sisters of Turk and their father from their house in Bhittai Nagar on Jan 2. The hostages included Abdul Ghani Turk,65, and his daughters, Sarosh, 26, Sadaf, 22, Sahar, 20, and Mahreen, 19.

Umair Ghani, son of Abdul Ghani Turk, lodged a kidnapping case with the Bhittai Nagar police, who picked-up around half a dozen relatives of Sadaf, which finally led to the recovery of the hostages from Thatta district.

The prime accused, however; is still at large though one of the accused Shahid Birhamani has been arrested.

Talking to journalists, the elderly man said that his captors were pressuring him to ensure return of their daughter Sadaf Panwhar.

He said that he repeatedly told his captors that ever since their marriage the couple was living in Rawalpindi.

“I was asked to go to Rawalpindi to bring her back, which I refused on the ground that he couldn’t leave his daughters alone here.”

He said that the kidnappers assured him that they considered his daughters as their own sisters and they would remain safe with them.

He said that his captors treated all of them nicely and served them food and provided him with medicine. He said that he was threatened that if he didn’t help bring Sadaf Panwhar back they would be made to live in captivity here.

The kidnapping case lodged with Qasimabad police against Raheem Turk is still pending and according to DPO Hyderabad he needs to clarify his position on the issue.

It has been learnt that Sadaf Panwhar has contacted the police and sought police protection upon her arrival in Hyderabad.

“I do confirm that I spoke to Raheem and Sadaf. They are probably residing in Rawalpindi and are ready to come to Hyderabad.

We too are willing to provide them security because they have called for it following this kidnapping incident,” the DPO told Dawn. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar had also taken a suo motu notice of the kidnap of the four sisters and their father.

DPO Hyderabad Ghulam Nabi Memon has been asked to attend the court on Jan 13 with a report in this respect.

Police would release those picked-up for interrogation in the case except for those nominated in the FIR.

According to our Thatta correspondent, the raid was conducted at the farmhouse of the former Sindh Auqaf minister, Manzoor Panwhar, where the hostages were kept in captivity.