Sri Sri heads to Pakistan on peace mission

Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will embark on a three-day visit to Pakistan from March 12.

This is the spiritual leader's second visit to the neighbouring country (the first one was in July 2004). During his three-day peace mission, Sri Sri will meet top leaders to strengthen collaborative efforts between the two countries.

Sri Sri will enter Lahore from the Wagah border on March 12 and proceed to Islamabad and Karachi.

Ahead of his visit, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, "If we spend one-tenth of what we have spent on conflict, we could create a much more prosperous South Asia, where no one knows the gun, no one suffers from disease, and no one cries for life"

Emphasizing the urgent need for a people-to-people movement and urging the youth to commit to a non-violent and harmonious South Asia, Sri Sri said, "We have spent a lot on conflicts, on escalating conflicts and on destruction of life and environment. Now we have to work towards making peace."

Besides visiting places of religious significance, including the Badshahi mosque, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be inaugurating an Art of Living centre in the presence of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's advisor Dr Paul Bhatti.

The spiritual leader will also hold talks with business leaders, academicians, spiritual leaders, student organizations and opinion leaders to strengthen collaborative efforts between the two countries. He is likely to meet the top political leaders as well.

During his last visit to Pakistan in July 2004, Sri Sri had inaugurated Art of Living's stress elimination programmes as well as humanitarian service initiatives. The foundation has also been involved in relief efforts in the Swat valley, and collection and distribution of relief material and raising funds for rebuilding of schools (in partnership with Rotary International) for the 2008 Quetta earthquake relief.

"As an ongoing effort to create a stress-free, violence-free society, Art of Living's Pakistani instructors conduct stress-elimination programs. Eight Art of Living teachers in Pakistan have trained thousands of people through art of living courses." Says Naeem Zamindar, chairman of Art of Living Foundation Pakistan.