Hafiz Saeed
Hafiz Saeed, leader of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.Reuters

Pakistani authorities on Thursday arrested four aides of Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terrorism financing charges, counter-terrorism police said.

Saeed, arrested on the same charges, has been on judicial remand since July, a move welcomed by US President Donald Trump who wants Pakistan to do more to crack down on militancy.

But Saeed's arrest came just ahead of a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan and was seen by rival India as a ploy to smooth the way before a meeting with Trump.

Thursday's arrests come ahead of a meeting next week of the Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog, which will review progress made by Pakistan in controlling terror financing and money laundering.

Pakistan, included on a so-called grey list compiled by the FATF, has been under increasing pressure to stop the financing of militant groups.

The four aides, Prof. Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Aziz, Muhammad Ashraf and Abdul Salam will appear before a trial court on Friday, police said in a statement.

Saeed, designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.

The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's conviction.

He has denied any involvement and said his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.