Pakistani police has arrested former president Pervez Musharraf at his residence on the outskirts of Islamabad and presented him in court in connection with allegations he committed treason while in office, television stations have reported.

Television footage on Friday showed Musharraf being escorted by uniformed police officers to an Islamabad court. A judge issued an arrest order for the former army chief on Thursday.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said Musharraf had given himself up.

"There are many cases against him. They are indeed milestone cases, but no militairy ruler of Paksitan has ever been convicted in a court of law. So it will be interesting to see what happens next."

Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999-2008, returned to Pakistan last month from nearly four years of self-imposed exile in the hope of running in next month's general elections.

His bid to run for office has been rejected by election officials and he has instead found himself battling a host of legal challenges relating to his years in power.