Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has said he believes the government must consider areas in which to give the state of Jammu and Kashmir autonomy.

"The demand in Kashmir Valley is to respect in letter and spirit Article 370. And that means that they want greater autonomy. My interactions in Jammu and Kashmir led me to the conclusion that when they ask for azaadi (independence), most people -- I am not saying all - (an) overwhelming majority want autonomy. Therefore, I think we should seriously examine that question and consider on what areas we can give autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir," he was quoted as saying.

This autonomy will be "perfectly within the Constitution of India" and "Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India but it will have larger powers as promised under Article 370," the newspaper quoted him as saying.