A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday rejected the appeals of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to halt their seven-year sentences in the Iddat case, as reported by Dawn. The decision, which was held back since Tuesday, was declared by Additional District and sessions judge (ADSJ) Afzal Majoka on Thursday. Legal professionals, women's rights advocates, and members of the civil society criticized the Iddat conviction, labeling it as detrimental to women's rights to dignity and privacy. The judgment sparked protests in Islamabad and drew criticism in Karachi. Before the general elections, on February 3, an Islamabad court imposed a seven-year prison term and a fine of 500,000 Pakistani rupees each on the couple for marrying during Bushra Bibi's Iddat period — a specific duration that must pass before a Muslim widow or divorcee can remarry. Additionally, the couple received 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case, while Khan and his foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were sentenced to 10 years in the cipher case, all in the same week the verdict was delivered. Earlier this month, Khan and Qureshi were acquitted in the cipher case, and the penalties in the Toshakhana case were suspended in April.