Pakistan judge remands ex-president Musharraf in custody

A Pakistani court remanded former president Pervez Musharraf in custody for two weeks on Saturday as judges pushed ahead with plans to put the former army chief on trial for a crackdown on the judiciary during his time in office.

Hundreds of lawyers jeered at Musharraf and scuffled with his supporters as he appeared at the Islamabad court a day after police arrested him at his home -- a breach with an unwritten rule in Pakistan that ex-generals are above the law.

The judge ruled that he be detained until his next court appearance on May 4 -- though Musharraf's lawyers said it was not immediately clear if the order meant he would have to go to jail or could be held under house arrest.

"We are not sure whether he will be remanded in jail, or whether his home will be considered as a jail, or whether he will be sent to another place," Qamar Afzal, his lawyer, told Reuters.

Mohammad Amjad, Musharraf's spokesman, said he was hopeful the ex-paratrooper could serve his remand at his farmhouse on the edge of Islamabad and paperwork to that effect was already being processed.

Musharraf's appearance sparked chaotic scenes in the court complex as police formed a human chain to prevent protesting lawyers --- who chanted "Down with Musharraf" -- from getting closer to the former president.

Musharraf left the court after his brief appearance and returned to police headquarters, where he has been detained in a police guest house. It was not clear if he would remain at the station or be transferred to another place of confinement.

Musharraf is facing allegations that he overstepped his powers in a showdown with the judiciary in 2007 when he sacked the chief justice and placed judges under house arrest.

Musharraf's moves against the judiciary earned him widespread scorn among an increasingly activist cadre of lawyers and judges, who have themselves been accused of overstepping the normal limits of judicial authority in their confrontations with the civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Musharraf's office issued a statement late on Friday saying the allegations were baseless and politically motivated.