A district and sessions court in Islamabad Thursday rejected the pleas seeking suspension of the sentences handed down to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the iddat case. The verdict drew strong condemnation from the PTI, which called it “absolutely ridiculous”, and its leaders – who were hoping for Imran’s release today – staged a protest outside the Adiala jail, where the court had been set up to ensure the security of the ex-prime minister. PTI leader Omar Ayub, addressing the media after the announcement of the verdict, condemned the court’s rejection of the appeals and announced that the party would challenge the decision. Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict , reserved on Tuesday, with the hearing on the main plea related to the annulment of their conviction set to take place on July 2. The PTI founder and Bushra were each sentenced to seven years in prison in February earlier this year after a trial court found their nikah to be fraudulent as Khawar Maneka, Bushra’s ex-husband, moved the court against the couple’s marriage. In the 10-page order, the court mentioned that there was no reason to suspend the sentence. “…[there is] no ground for suspension of [the] sentence is available to both the petitioners. Accordingly, both the petitions under section 426 Cr.PC are dismissed,” it said.In response to the verdict issued by the lower court, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan said: “[We] will challenge the verdict in the high court immediately.” Following the announcement, PTI workers began protesting outside the district and sessions court and also blocked the road. The protesters include women, who chanted slogans in favour of the PTI founder. Meanwhile, heavy police deployment was also present outside the court. Khan, the deposed prime minister who was ousted from power via the opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022, has been facing a slew of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism since his removal as the premier. He has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the Toshakhana case and subsequently sentenced in other cases ahead of the February 8 elections. Despite securing relief in other cases including £190 million reference and Toshakhana, and acquittal in the cipher case earlier this month, the former premier remains behind bars due to his conviction in the iddat case. Khan has also been granted bail in the May 9 cases registered in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad. On the other hand, the Federal Investigation Agency also twice interrogated him in the jail regarding an anti-state post shared on X, formerly Twitter. There is, however, no new case against the PTI founder.