More Indian Officials Quit in Aftermath of Attacks

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Bodies Removed From Mumbai Hotel

Authorities finished removing bodies from the bullet- and grenade-scarred Taj Mahal hotel Monday, the final site of the Mumbai siege to be cleared, as schools and businesses reopened and commuters returned to work.

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Sharma said Pakistan had reneged on a promise made in 2004 not to allow its territory to be used for attacks against India by any group. "We have strong evidence that the men came from Pakistan. We know how they were trained and how they came. Now it is up to Pakistan to deliver on its commitment."

Pakistani officials have steadfastly denied culpability.

"I don't think that this is the time for India or anybody in India to accuse Pakistan. It's time to work with Pakistan," said Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, speaking on the ABC News program "This Week." "Pakistan is now a democracy. India is a democracy. And as two democracies, we need to strengthen each other, rather than fall into the trap of the terrorists, who want us to fight with each other so that they can get greater strength."

As tensions rose Sunday, the Bush administration said it would dispatch Rice to India on Wednesday. Among the dead in Mumbai last week were six U.S. citizens.

In upcoming meetings with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon is expected to share findings from the investigation of the attacks. An FBI team landed in Mumbai on Sunday to assist in the probe, and Bush has pledged U.S. support for India's counterterrorism efforts.

Indian government officials said that although they had ruled out military action in response to the attacks, they were considering calling off the ongoing dialogue with Pakistan or suspending the five-year-old official cease-fire on the border. They also said they would consider slimming down the size of the Indian Embassy in Islamabad.

"The mood in the government towards Pakistan is definitely very hostile right now, but a military mobilization is unlikely," one official said. "We may go for a gradual, calibrated diplomatic offensive. But a lot will depend on how Pakistan responds in the coming days."

In interviews, several government officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said they felt helpless about the state of affairs in Pakistan. They said the government in Pakistan may not have the power necessary to rein in hostile extremist groups.

"Who do we talk to? Who is in control in Pakistan? They have a government, but how relevant is it in controlling the terror groups there?" a senior official said.

"If we go back to business-as-usual with Pakistan, it would be a grave mistake," said Kanwal Sibal, a former diplomat and an analyst. "But, unfortunately, all the Western nations that are extending verbal support to us today are the ones who will also put pressure on India to resume dialogue and will not support us if we take tough action."

As India weighs the political and diplomatic consequences of the assault on Mumbai, officials and political observers say Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faces constraints in selecting India's response. Singh is nearing the end of his five-year term and has little time to shake off the prevailing perception that his government has failed to tackle the threat of terrorism. A wave of bomb blasts has ripped through several Indian cities since May, killing about 260 people and injuring hundreds.

The public call for concerted action has come to a head in the past four days as citizens have protested on street corners, launched text-message campaigns and held candlelight vigils. "The government is on trial like never before," said Mahesh Rangarajan, an independent political analyst and columnist. "There is a feeling among the middle class that our politicians have failed us miserably. They want a leadership that will respond to a brick with a rock."