There is one further step in Pakistan’s election petition process after the tribunal decides. The Supreme Court can hear an appeal — but only if it is filed within a strict 30-day window.
Election petitions end with a tribunal decision. For parties who lose at that stage, the Elections Act 2017 provides one further avenue i.e. an appeal to the Supreme Court. This appeal right is time-limited and final.
What does the law say?
Section 155 of the Elections Act 2017 allows any aggrieved party to appeal an Election Tribunal’s decision on an election petition — whether for a National Assembly, Provincial Assembly, or Senate seat — to the Supreme Court within 30 days of the decision. The Supreme Court’s decision is final. No further appellate forum exists.
For local government election petitions, the appeal goes to the relevant High Court, not the Supreme Court. High Court decisions in such appeals are equally final.
Why does this matter?
For legal practitioners representing parties in election petitions, the Section 155 deadline is a critical docket management obligation. The 30-day timeline runs from the date the tribunal’s decision is made — not from when the party receives the formal written order or becomes aware of its full reasoning. Parties and their legal teams must monitor tribunal proceedings actively and file the Supreme Court appeal promptly upon receiving the decision.
 Source: Elections Act 2017, Section 155.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on electoral literacy. Read more of this series here.
