WASHINGTON, Oct. 25— State Department officials said today that they remained hopeful that India and Pakistan would refrain from hostilities. They tended not to attach much importance to reports from Pakistan of fighting in the Eastern Region but to see more significance in Prime Minister Indira Ghandi's decision to make her trip to the West as scheduled.

The officials cautioned that while Western intelligence could estimate the capabilities of India and Pakistan to wage war, it could not predict either side's intentions with complete assurance.