Court places Musharraf under 2-day house arrest

A Pakistani court on Friday put ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf under house arrest for two days after he surrendered to a magistrate over charges related to his nine-year rule, officials said. The Islamabad High Court had on Thursday ordered his arrest over his controversial decision to dismiss judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007. It was the latest humiliating blow for the retired general, in power from 1999 to 2008, who promised to "save" the troubled nation and contest the May 11 vote after returning from four years of self-imposed exile. "General Musharraf has been sent on a two-day judicial remand and he will stay at his farmhouse," a spokesman for his All Pakistan Muslim League party told AFP. An official at the magistrates court in Islamabad confirmed the order. APML spokesman Muhammad Amjad said the magistrate had ordered Musharraf to appear before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi after two days. "Musharraf himself surrendered before the court Friday morning," Amjad said, denying media reports that he had been arrested prior to going to court. Live TV footage showed Musharraf walking into the court wearing a traditional shalwar kamiz and waistcoat -- a departure from his normal preference for Western clothes -- surrounded by police and paramilitary. His team said they would seek bail in the Supreme Court later Friday. Musharraf is also accused of conspiracy to murder opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and over the death of a rebel leader during a 2006 military operation. He had been granted bail repeatedly since his homecoming on March 24.