15 gunmen vandalized The Art of Living center and set it on fire in Bani Gala on the outskirts of Islamabad on Saturday evening. Firing few gunshots they tied the security guards to the trees. No one has been reported hurt.
"It is shocking! The Bani Gala center has the capacity to house 60 people. Fortunately, this weekend the venue of the stress-elimination program had been moved to Nankana Sahib." shared Shahnaz Minallah, Faculty, Art of Living Pakistan
The Bani Gala center has been bustling with activity ever since its inauguration by The Art of Living founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 2012.
The Art of Living has a huge following in Pakistan with several faculty members who are empowered to teach the stress-elimination programs. The organization played a key and active role in disaster relief during the floods in 2010 and mobilized relief material post-earthquake in 2005.
In April 2009, the Art of Living Pakistan reached out to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Swat valley and other areas in the war against terrorism.