Srinagar, July 06(KNS): Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference president Sajad Lone on Sunday said that the withdrawal of security cover for certain political leaders appeared to follow a pattern linked to public criticism and threats.

He was speaking at a press conference at his residence in Srinagar. Lone said that the security cover of leaders such as former minister Hakeem Yaseen and politician Sheikh Imran was reduced significantly. He noted that this reduction came despite their long-term exposure to risk. Yaseen, he recalled, had survived a targeted attack in the 1990s.

Lone did not frame his remarks as a complaint or demand, but said it was important for the public to understand how decisions around security are being made. He said the issue was not about individual entitlement but about the principles behind threat evaluation.

Without naming officials, Lone said it was not the first time security arrangements had been influenced by political preferences. He described a recurring pattern where decisions were less about objective assessments and more about affiliations or criticisms voiced.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelHe said there was a history of security being allocated unevenly based on party lines.

He also referred to an earlier era when his father, a political figure, was targeted. According to Lone, intelligence agencies at the time had prior information but chose not to act. He said such decisions reflect the way security sometimes becomes a tool of political calculation.

Lone spoke of his party's alliance with a regional political platform and commented on the reactions it had generated. He said those who had governed the region for decades now seemed uncomfortable with political competition and were returning to old tactics.

He said the aim of the press conference was to make the current situation transparent, not to influence the decisions of the state but to document what he described as a sequence of cause and effect that should be open to public scrutiny.(KNS).