Former National Assembly (NA) speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser was released from jail on Wednesday following the withdrawal of his detention order under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) had directed Swabi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Tariqullah a day ago to withdraw his detention orders for Qaiser and warned that non-compliance would lead to action.

The DC’s release order, a copy of which is available with Daw.com was issued today on the condition that Qaiser would not disturb the peace, instigate the public against the government, raise slogans against state institutions, abide by the home department’s standard operating procedures and that he would produce bail bond worth Rs100,000 with two sureties each, along with an affidavit that Qaiser would not disturb the district’s peace and tranquility.

Qaiser was initially arrested on November 3 at his Banigala residence on charges of causing losses to the national exchequer through procurement irregularities in the Gajju Khan Medical College.

On Nov 23, he was granted bail by an anti-corruption court in the case. But the PTI leader was re-arrested from his Marghuz residence hours later in a case on ransacking of the Charsadda Toll Plaza on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway on May 9 — the day violent protests broke out across the country following ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest.

Following Qaiser’s release from Swabi prison, a joint team of Swabi and Charsadda police had arrested him. Qaiser’s brother, Waheed Khan, had told Dawn that three cases were registered against his brother in connection with the May 9 violence: one was in Swabi, another in Islamabad and the third in Charsadda.

He was re-arrested on December 2 by the police outside the Mardan prison soon after his release in cases related to the May 9 riots. Qaiser was detained yet again by the police under the MPO Ordinance on Dec 9 after securing bail in a case about the May 9 protests.

DC Tariqullah had ordered 30 days of detention for the former NA speaker on Dec 8 under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance. The DC had ordered the district police to arrest Qaiser and shift him to Mardan Central Prison for 30 days.

Until now, the PTI leader has been arrested five times.

Today, the PHC granted bail to Qaiser in three cases while presiding over a hearing for his legal team’s challenge against the detention order.

Advocate Riaz Pandakhel spoke to the media outside the Central Prison Mardan, saying that the PTI’s legal team did not object to the response received from the Swabi administration regarding Qaiser’s conditional release.

He said the PHC accepted this correspondence and issued orders for the former NA speaker’s release with the Swabi administration receiving the bail orders in the three cases this evening.

A large number of party workers along with Qaiser’s brother and legal team were present to receive him on his release.

Speaking after his release, the PTI leader thanked party workers for their support.

Qaiser said he would also soon hold a rally and fully participate in the general elections.