New Delhi: The Home Minister has a message for India's youngest Chief Minister - handle the unrest in Kashmir politically and handle it swiftly.
Speaking to NDTV, Chidambaram said the response to the strife in the Valley has to be political.
When asked about the state government's decision to withdraw CRPF from Baramulla after the killing of four civilian protestors, the Home Minister said that he supported the phasing out of the central forces from the Valley. The minister, however, added that the CRPF had acted on orders from the state police.
Chidambaram also said that declining militancy meant the government was considering limiting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to fewer areas in the Valley.
The AFSPA allows security forces to carry out operations in specifically designated areas without fear of arrest. For many years, there have been allegations that security forces have been ruthless in carrying out anti-terror operations by taking advantage of the special powers act.
Earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah had said that vested interests wanting to keep Kashmir "on the boil" were behind the current disturbances in the Valley. He also expressed confidence that the local police were competent enough to tackle the situation.
"There are lots of interested people who are doing these things. They want the place to boil so that there is an upheaval. We have to face these things," Abdullah said while reacting to widespread violence in the Valley following the recovery of a body of 20-year-old student who had been missing for the last few days.
At least 45 people, including seven policemen, were injured and over a dozen vehicles damaged in incidents of violence bringing normal life to a standstill in the Valley in the last few days.