"I don't think that there is compelling evidence of involvement of Pakistani officials," said Rice, who visited India and Pakistan last week in an effort to calm tensions.
Suspicion in the attack has fallen largely on Lashkar-e- Taiba, or Army of the Pure, a 2-decade-old group that spent much of its existence fighting Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir -- at times with the active assistance of Pakistan's intelligence services.
Pakistan banned the group in 2002, but a charitable wing, Jamaat ud-Dawa, operates openly, with a large base of support in Pakistan's Punjab province. Jamaat was a major presence in Muzaffarabad and surrounding areas after a deadly earthquake rocked Kashmir in 2005.
The head of Jamaat ud-Dawa, a former college professor named Hafiz Saeed, is a founding member of Lashkar. He is on a list of about 20 terrorist suspects whose hand-over India has demanded. Pakistan has indicated it will not comply.
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laura.king@latimes.com
Special correspondent Mubashir Zaidi contributed to this report from Islamabad.
