Bangalore : The Taliban are threatening members of the Art of Living foundation working in Pakistan, accusing them of “conspiring against Islam”, the NGO said here Tuesday.
The foundation, headquartered in Bangalore, is a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational institution founded by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981 and has presence worldwide.
“Our faculty members and volunteers in Pakistan have been receiving threat letters and calls over the last two months from the Taliban accusing them of conspiring against Islam,” the foundation said in a statement here.
The foundation has also brought to the notice of Pakistani authorities that the threats began after March 8 when 15 gunmen vandalised its centre at Bani-Gala on the outskirts of Islamabad.
“Since many youths gave up violence after undergoing our programmes, the Taliban perceive our organisation to be a threat,” the statement quoted a volunteer working in Pakistan as saying.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who visited Pakistan in 2012 and 2004, had invited Taliban leaders for a dialogue to make South Asia a safer region.
The foundation which has been working in Pakistan over the last 13 years, claims to have about 10,000 members across the country.