Meanwhile, India opened anti-aircraft fire on a Pakistani surveillance plane which crossed its border, hours after the two countries held unsuccessful talks to defuse the Kashmir crisis, police said on Sunday, Reuters added''Our effort is to avoid war but we are determined to get back our territory and we will see that the line of control (LoC) is honoured,'' he told a press conference in Srinagar shortly after his visit to Kargil where he was greeted with what is viewed as predetermined shelling of the areas he was scheduled to cover.

The shells fell within 1-2 km of the helipad where he landed and destroyed the divisional commissioner's office in adjoining Baroo village around the timehe was scheduled to address locals here. A concerned President KR Narayanan expressed great relief in Hyderabad that Vajpayee was not affected by this ''cowardly act and continued your programme to boost the morale of our troops''.

The Prime Minister ruled out initiating dialogue with Pakistan at his level following deadlock in the talks between Pakistani foreign minister Sartaj Aziz and his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh in New Delhi on Saturday but said ''doors are not closed'' on ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease the situation.

Asked about apprehensions that the current conflict might lead to a nuclear flare-up between India and Pakistan, Vajpayee said: ''No responsible person will talk of nuclear option,'' adding there was no restriction on conventional warfare.

"India is for continuation of the Lahore process, which includes the commitment to the Shimla agreement. For that process to be fruitful, it is absolutely necessary for the status quo ante to be restored on the LoC. That is the only wayto defuse the situation and avoid a costly escalation of the conflict," the Prime Minister said.

Vajpayee said visiting Pakistani foreign minister Sartaj Aziz spoke of many proposals during his visit to New Delhi but "all fell short (of requirement) because they did not contain the promise that the aggression (in Kargil) will be vacated and status quo restored."

Asked whether a major intelligence failure had resulted in the present situation in Kargil, he said: "Who failed or when the failure occurred are some of the questions that shall be examined after these operations are over."

"This is no time for post-mortem examination," he said. Asserting that Kashmir is an integral part of india, he said, "Everybody was aware of the parliamentary resolution calling for the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to India."

Earlier, addressing jawans at Kargil amidst continuous shelling at the nearby Baroo village, Vajpayee said India was willing to go to any extent for establishing peace but made it clear thatthe violation of the LoC by Pakistan had to be undone. "We want peace but we are also prepared for a war," Vajpayee said.

Addressing local residents in Kargil, the Prime Minister announced a special package including free ration for all refugees and financial assistance to those who are homeless and whose houses have been damaged in the Pak shelling.