A Pakistani court Saturday ordered the release of a Pashtun rights leader critical of the military, his lawyer said, weeks after he was arrested on sedition charges.

Manzoor Pashteen, chief of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), was arrested last month on charges of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.

His lawyer Saeed Akhtar told AFP that he had already been bailed on three of five complaints against him. "Today the court has granted him bail in the remaining two, against surety bonds of one hundred thousand rupees ($650) each," Akhtar said.

He added that he hoped Pashteen would be released from jail later Saturday. A government prosecutor also confirmed the bail to AFP.