JAMMU, May 21: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived late on Tuesday in the winter capital of held Kashmir at the heart of a confrontation between India and Pakistan that has triggered fears of war.

Vajpayee’s visit to the Himalayan state where a separatist revolt has raged for a dozen years, came as witnesses reported the shooting death of a prominent separatist leader, Abdul Gani Lone.

Vajpayee, accompanied by Defence Minister George Fernandes, was greeted by senior state officials. He was due to inspect army frontlines and meet survivors of a deadly militant raid on an army camp that sparked the latest crisis.

Massive security surrounded the three-day visit of the prime minister to the state with army commandos and security forces filling the streets of Jammu and sharp shooters on rooftops.

—Reuters