Pakistan has arrested more than 500 suspected Taliban militants on its soil this year and handed over most of them to Afghan authorities, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The suspected militants were arrested in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and other cities, the ministry said in a statement. The Pakistani announcement came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s sharp accusations that Pakistan was harbouring and supporting the militia, which has stepped up attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan has handed over 400 of the arrested Taliban to Afghan authorities, the statement said. The Pakistani statement said that the upswing in militant activity in Afghanistan called for “increased security” cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. An intelligence sharing centre between Pakistan, Afghanistan and international coalition forces is in the “final stages”, the statement said.