President reaches Shimla on four-day holiday
Shimla, May 20: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday was accorded a ceremonial reception on his arrival in the Himachal Pradesh capital on a four-day holiday.
He was given a guard of honour at the Kalyani helipad near here. Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his cabinet colleague Mohinder Singh received him.
Official sources said Kovind would stay at The Retreat, the President's summer holiday resort, just 15 km uphill from Shimla where Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Vadra is constructing a cottage.
Built in 1850, The Retreat was once the summer residence of the Viceroys when this hill town was the summer capital of British India.
This is Kovind's first visit to the hill state after becoming the President.
"I hope your stay in Shimla will be pleasant. You should guide us for taking Himachal Pradesh to its new heights," the Chief Minister tweeted.
In the evening, the President will be attending a cultural programme and banquet hosted in his honour by Acharya Devvrat in Shimla, an official told IANS.
During his visit, the President will address the Ninth convocation of Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni in Solan town on Monday.
The next day, he will address a civic reception hosted by the government in Shimla.
A day before his departure on May 24, the President will host a reception for state's senior dignitaries.
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Pak police registers case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on LeT co-founder
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
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