ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  Seven Pakistanis accused of planning last year’s attacks in Mumbai, India, were formally charged Wednesday, the eve of the first anniversary of the assault. The attacks left 163 people dead and have become a major sticking point in relations between India and Pakistan.

Charges against the suspects had been expected since February, when Pakistan said it was holding several men and acknowledged for the first time that the attacks had been planned in Pakistan. But months of postponements and legal hearings followed, delaying the indictments until Wednesday.

The seven include the man suspected of being the operation’s organizer, Zaki ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the commander of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba; Hammad Amin Sadiq, who is accused of coordinating the financing; and Zarar Shah, described as a computer and networks expert. All pleaded not guilty, according to a defense lawyer.

But Pakistan has said it does not have enough evidence to charge the man Indian and Western officials have accused of masterminding the attacks: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, one of the main founders of Lashkar-e-Taiba.