HARIPUR, Aug 13: The District Returning Officer (DRO) of Haripur prevented Provincial Minister Akhtar Nawaz Khan from laying the foundation stone of a hospital on the complaint of a local body’s election candidate here on Friday.

Sikandar Hayat Khan, a candidate for nazim from union council Khalabat, had filed an application with the district returning officer of Haripur, Syed Afsar Shah, pointing out that provincial minister for transport and fisheries was breaching the code of conduct set by the Election Commission for government functionaries and was convincing voters’ publicly for his real brother Mehr Nishad Khan, one of the contenders for UC nazim’s slot.

He also as a proof presented an invitation card for foundation stone laying ceremony of civil hospital Khalabat, the card was bearing the names of provincial minister and his candidate brother.

The DRO summoned the minister at his office and warned him to desist from taking part in election campaign of his brother and not to hold the hospital’s ceremony.

He also reportedly wrote the Services and Works department to defer the inauguration of the project till the local government election day to be held on Aug 18.