SRINAGAR: People’s Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone on Sunday alleged security cover was withdrawn from key leaders associated with the new People’s Alliance for Change.Lone announced formation of the alliance — including his People’s Conference, Justice and Development Front, believed to be a proxy of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), and People’s Democratic Front — on June 30.Lone said criticism had begun surfacing from various quarters, including across the LoC, following the alliance’s formation. The first such statement came from Ghulam Mohammad Safi, a veteran Hurriyat figure, and Naseebuddin, a JeI affiliate, both based across the border. “Even more concerning was a threat received from a militant outfit in Pakistan, suggesting that the formation of the alliance had unsettled several actors, both within and outside Jammu & Kashmir.“Lone’s strongest criticism was directed at the administration for what he called “deliberate withdrawal” of security cover from senior politicians of the alliance. He said former minister Hakeem Yaseen had his security scaled down by 80%. “Hakeem sahib survived a deadly attack in the 1990s,” he said. He claimed security of Sheikh Imran, a party leader, had also been similarly reduced.“I just want to place it in the public domain that even security is being politicised now,” Lone told reporters and claimed this was the first time such a swift and sharp cut had been observed. “It happened just three days after the alliance was announced. It is difficult not to connect the dots.”While indirectly alluding to the PDP, Lone accused its leadership of arrogance and political insecurity. “On one hand, they talk of dialogue with Pakistan while, on the other, we all know who is pulling the trigger from behind the scenes.”