Islamabad, July 2 (ANI): Almost 400 people have died in more than 200 incidents of ethnic and sectarian violence in the past four years in Balochistan, according to a report.

The provincial home department in an official report said that over 400 Shias and Hazaras, who account for nearly a fifth of the country's 170 million population, have lost their lives due to violence.

According to Express Tribune, the report revealed that around 100 pilgrims have been killed in just the first half of the current year.

The provincial home department said that cross-border influence, among other factors, was fuelling the sectarian violence.

The report revealed that another 450 people were injured in over 110 sectarian attacks from 2008 to 2011.

In 2009, 39 members of the Shia community were killed and 20 injured in over 30 incidents of ethnic violence, while only 15 were killed and 10 injured in 2008.

The police have arrested alleged terrorist Sher Dil, also known as Babu, for his reported ties with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in a bid to curb the violence.

Alleged terrorists Khalid Bungulzai and Majeed Langove are said to have been killed in police encounters, and the government has constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by the home minister of Balochistan to further probe the incident.

The provincial government has decided to refer the investigation of sensitive cases to the Crime Investigation Department and called for a review of the regulations pertaining to the movement of pilgrims under the Travel Agency Act, 1976. (ANI)