NOWSHERA, Sept 3: Police on Saturday arrested three activists of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and sealed its office in Nowshera cantt, officials said. The raiding party seized Jihadi material, including magazines, Islamic literature and video cassettes, from the office and registered a case against arrested persons under section 8, 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

District Police Officer Zaibullah Khan told Dawn that police had received directives to conduct raid and seal office of the organisation.

Sources said that the police raided the office of Jamaat-ut-Dawa situated in the Khattak Building of the city and took three persons into custody.

The proscribed Lashkar-i-Tayaba was renamed after the federal government placed a ban on the organisation in a bid to eliminate militancy and extremism.

Officials said the organisation was involved in illegal activities and preached militancy and extremism in the area apart from distributing “objectionable” literature.

The three arrested persons have been identified as Usman, Saeed Ahmad and Asifullah.

The Jamaat-ut-Dawa is running offices in other districts of the NWFP also, including Peshawar.