DHAKA: Armed men have burnt down a yoga centre in Islamabad inaugurated by a world famous Indian Hindu guru who once offered to teach inner peace to the Taliban.

The police said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times.

The Art of Living centre was torched on Saturday night in the upmarket Bani Gala suburb of the capital.

It was the Pakistan branch of an international non-government organisation founded by Nobel peace prize nominee Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, described by Forbes magazine in 2009 as the fifth-most powerful person in India.

Police official Nayyer Salim told media some eight to nine people were involved in the attack.

‘The watchman told us that some eight to nine men armed with pistols and guns came and asked for money. Then they tied up three employees on duty and spread petrol,’ he said.

The staff members survived the attack, the police said, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2020 HRS, MAR 09, 2014