Several shells landed nearby as Mr Vajpayee and his delegation arrived in the largely deserted town of Kargil, some 200 km north-east of Srinagar. The town is close to the scene of the worst fighting. They were visiting Indian troops, who have for the past month been engaged in heavy fighting along the demarcation line between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. India is trying to repulse what it describes as Pakistani-backed infiltrators from the mountains on the Indian side of the line of control. It is the prime minister's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since India launched its offensive.
China is a long-standing ally of Pakistan.
A proposal by Pakistan that India should call off its air strikes and that both sides should stop trading artillery fire across the line of control was rejected by India. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.