The trial of five men accused in the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people last November is likely to start next week, Pakistan's interior minister said Saturday.

Rehman Malik said the investigation into the role that the five played in the three-day siege of the Indian city is "almost complete."

He said the five men are in custody, and "their trial is going to commence probably next week."

Malik also rejected allegations — levelled by India — that Pakistan dragged its feet in the investigation, saying that with Saturday's announcement "we have proved that we are serious."

There was no immediate reaction to Malik's comments from Indian officials.

New Delhi blames the assault on militants trained in Pakistan and has pushed Islamabad to move swiftly to hunt down those responsible for orchestrating the attack.

India has also demanded that Islamabad hand over the suspects, but Pakistan has rejected that call, saying it would try any suspects in its own courts.

The U.S. and other Western countries are also closely watching Pakistan's efforts to try the suspects, who stand accused of planning and aiding the Nov. 26-28 attacks in the Indian financial centre while others carried them out.

Indian security forces killed nine of the Mumbai militants and arrested the lone surviving attacker, Agmal Kasab, who New Delhi said belonged to the Pakistani outfit Laskhar-e-Taiba. He told investigators the militants were trained on Pakistani soil and the attack was planned there.