QUETTA April: 29 Ataullah Kurd, a leader the Muttihada Qaumi Movement (MQM) and 17 members of the Muslim Students Federation and the Pakistan Muslim League Youth Wing have announced to quit their respective parties to protest against arrest of Dr Imdad Baloch and other members of BSO.

In a joint press conference at the press club here on Friday Ataullah Kurd of MQM and Abdullah Achakzai of MSF claimed that they had given 72-hour ultimatum to their parties, coalition partner the federal government, to release BSO members or else they would quit their organisations.

They and other political activists have announced to observe token hunger strike for three hours on Saturday. They would observe daily hunger strike from Sunday to Tuesday and if the arrested students were not freed they would observe fast unto death from Wednesday.

Ataullah Kurd, who had been a member of central Rabita committee of MQM, claimed that he had been affiliated with MQM for 11 years and had also undergone torture during his one-year detention but he was shocked that police in Sindh, where MQM was in power, had arrested Dr Imdad Baloch and 7 other members of BSO. He said that he had faxed a letter to MQM leader Altaf Hussain whereby he had urged him to play his influence in recovery of BSO members but for 72 hours he had received no reply from the MQM chief.

While announcing his resignation from the basic membership of MQM, Mr Kurd claimed that he had joined MQM in Balochistan when it was facing state oppression. Now when it was in power in centre and Sindh he could no longer remain its member because, he alleged, it was involved in excesses against Baloch students.

Abdullah Achakzai of MSF and his 16 associates announced to resign from PML which, they said, was in government in centre and Sindh yet had failed to find whereabouts of Dr Imdad Baloch and others.