Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has been ordered to remain in custody in connection with charges he ordered the illegal detention of judges in 2007.
Musharraf will be held under house arrest at his villa on the outskirts of Islamabad until his next court appearance May 4.
Fourteen witnesses have been included in the charges against him.
The former general, who seized power in a coup and ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade, has seen his fortunes plummet since he returned in March after four years in self-imposed exile.
After he was arrested Friday, the 69-year-old former military ruler took to Facebook, calling the allegations against him "politically motivated" and vowing to fight them. One of his senior lawyers told VOA Musharraf will appeal his case all the way to the Supreme Court.
His arrest is the first of any former chief of the Pakistani army.
A judge had actually ordered Mr. Musharraf's arrest on Thursday, rejecting his bail request. But the former president fled the courtroom with his bodyguards.
Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999. He was forced to step down in 2008 under threat of impeachment.
Musharraf is also facing other legal challenges, including allegations that he failed to provide adequate security to prevent the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He has denied involvement in the plot to kill her.
Musharraf will be held under house arrest at his villa on the outskirts of Islamabad until his next court appearance May 4.
Fourteen witnesses have been included in the charges against him.
The former general, who seized power in a coup and ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade, has seen his fortunes plummet since he returned in March after four years in self-imposed exile.
After he was arrested Friday, the 69-year-old former military ruler took to Facebook, calling the allegations against him "politically motivated" and vowing to fight them. One of his senior lawyers told VOA Musharraf will appeal his case all the way to the Supreme Court.
His arrest is the first of any former chief of the Pakistani army.
A judge had actually ordered Mr. Musharraf's arrest on Thursday, rejecting his bail request. But the former president fled the courtroom with his bodyguards.
Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999. He was forced to step down in 2008 under threat of impeachment.
Musharraf is also facing other legal challenges, including allegations that he failed to provide adequate security to prevent the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He has denied involvement in the plot to kill her.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
