An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Saturday remanded former military strongman Pervez Musharraf in 14-day judicial custody in the judges' detention case.

Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi of the anti-terrorist court issued the order that makes it imperative for Musharraf to re-appear in the court on May 4. Earlier, Musharraf recorded his statement in the court denying the charge that he ordered detention of top judges of country's superior courts in November 2007 after imposing emergency, suspending the constitution and dismissing nearly 64 judges in the country, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Musharraf was driven to the court premises this morning amid tight security from the Islamabad police headquarters where he was shifted following his arrest on Friday under the orders of the Islamabad High Court.

Musharraf was produced in court amid chaotic scenes with lawyers raising slogans against the former President and scuffling with his supporters. A grim-looking Musharraf walked the short distance from his SUV to the court, surrounded by his bodyguards and dozens of security personnel.

He waved and saluted to his followers before entering the courtroom on the first floor of the building. No one was allowed to come close to him. Musharraf waved to his followers again as he left the court.

Musharraf, who is the first former army chief and head of state to be arrested, spent the night at the officers' mess and was given the suite of the Inspector General of Police. The police requested Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi to order a judicial remand for the former president. Petitioner's counsel Ashraf Gujjar opposed the police request and demanded his physical remand to permit further investigation.

Musharraf had returned to Pakistan on March 24 after over four-year-long self-imposed exile to take part in elections saying he had come to save Pakistan. But election officials barred him from running for the National Assembly earlier this week, effectively derailing his attempts to regain a place in national politics.

Although Musharraf's legal battles provided an electrifying sideshow in the election race, he clearly commands scant public support and the outcome of the drama is unlikely to have much impact on the final results.

Musharraf is facing several other cases including the treason case for subverting the constitution, ordering assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti and military operation in Lal Masjid of Islamabad. The chief justice on Saturday constituted a three-member bench of the Supreme Court under Justice Jawwad Khawaja to hear the treason case. The hearing would begin on April 22.

(with PTI inputs)

Islamabad, April 20
Hours after an anti-terrorism court remanded Pervez Musharraf to judicial custody, the authorities today declared his sprawling farmhouse a "sub-jail" so that the former military ruler could be detained there.

The administration of Islamabad issued a formal notification declaring Musharraf's farmhouse in the suburb of Chak Shahzad a sub-jail this afternoon.

An assistant jail superintendent and some policemen will be posted at the residence so that they can keep an eye on Musharraf and monitor his visitors, sources said.

Musharraf, 69, will not be allowed out of the five-acre palatial farmhouse with high walls and guard towers. Visitors will be allowed to see Musharraf at specified times and only after they have been vetted by prison officials, the sources said. While being held at the farmhouse, Musharraf will be allowed to retain the bodyguards provided to him by the army, sources said.

Yesterday, Musharraf became the first former Pakistan Army chief to be arrested and presented before a judge. The arrest came a day after Musharraf fled from the Islamabad High Court when a judge revoked his bail. — PTI

Beijing, April 20
At least 157 persons were killed and over 5,700 injured when a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China's Sichuan province today, flattening more than 10,000 houses in a seismic mountainous region that suffered a catastrophic quake in 2008.

The quake struck the province on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau at 8.02 am, prompting a major relief and rescue operation in the same area where 90,000 persons were reported dead or missing in a 8-magnitude quake in 2008.

Ten hours after the quake hit Lushan county in the city of Ya'an, the death toll stood at 157, state television station CCTV said on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo, citing the China Earthquake Administration.

The epicentre of the earthquake was reported to be at a depth of 13 km and was monitored at 30.3 degrees north latitude and 103.0 degrees east longitude.

The quake flattened the historic Lushan county and iconic Ya'an City, home of endangered giant Pandas on the foot hills of Tibetan plateau. Over 5,700 persons were injured of which the condition of over 200 was said to be serious, Chinese officials said.

To help rescue operations, about 6,000 soldiers and police were heading to the area where five drones were deployed to capture aerial images, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Though a notch less, Chinese earthquake experts said today's quake caused massive destruction as it was a shallow one taking place just below 13 km down the earth, putting a lot of punch in its tremors.

The quake in the mountainous area shook hills triggering landslides besides causing heavy damage to the concrete structures.

At least 10,000 houses were destroyed, the Sichuan government said.

Adapt at dealing with massive earthquakes with skills acquired from both 2008 Sichuan and 2010 Qinghai quakes, China mobilised thousands of rescuers including over 2,500 army troops from provincial capital Chengdu which also felt the tremors in the morning.

A total of 264 aftershocks had been monitored, two of which were above 5-magnitude. Ya'an city lies between the Sichuan basin and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, regarded as the most seismic active area where the two massive plates at the earth's crest meet. — PTI

Big jolt A 7-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China's Sichuan province on Saturday The epicentre of the earthquake was reported to be at a depth of 13 km A total of 264 aftershocks have been reported, two of which were above 5-magnitude More than 10,000 houses have been flattened in the mountainous region.

London, April 20
A 40-year-old woman, said to be an "illiterate" Indian, was beaten, raped and given out-of-date food and passed between three middle-class families as a slave for many years in Britain, a daily reported. The woman made desperate pleas for help to the Hertfordshire police as well as charities and other state agencies. But when police officers spoke to her, one of her "powerful and well-connected abusers" was used as an interpreter, The Independent said.

The woman was handed back to her "slave master", and she was again attacked and threatened that she would be buried in the back garden of the man's luxury home for ruining his family name.

Three people — an optician, a butcher and a secretary — were convicted of her abuse that spanned more than three years.

The woman was passed between the families, kept like a prisoner, given virtually no money and had her passport confiscated, the report said. However, when she fled, her pleas went ignored by the police and other organisations on at least 12 occasions, according to court documents.

The woman's ordeal ended only after she was taken in by a migrant workers' charity and human rights' group Liberty took up her case.

"Various state agencies failed her, ignoring her repeated pleas for help, not adhering to their own investigative practice and it could be said ignoring the obvious," Caroline Haughey, counsel for the prosecution, told the Croydon Crown Court.

The woman came to Britain in 2005 to try to make a better life and to send money to her family in India's Hyderabad city.

When she sought help, she was threatened by her keepers. In one case, a professional interpreter told the police that the woman was "telling a lot of lies - it's common in her country", the court heard.

She was first taken to hospital in 2006 with a gashed foot after her "employer" named Shamina Yousuf, 33, hurled a cup at her. However, no action was taken after she was bullied her into not pursuing matters, the report said. — IANS

The horror tale The woman (40) made desperate pleas for help to the Hertfordshire police as well as charities and other state agencies. But when police officers spoke to her, one of her "powerful and well-connected abusers" was used as an interpreter, The Independent said The woman was handed back to her "slave master", and she was again attacked and threatened that she would be buried in the back garden of the man's luxury home for ruining his family name