Nijjar had fled to Canada on a fake passport in 1996, had sent shooters to kill Shiv Sena leaders.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized two properties of US-based key Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The development took place when Pannun was making inflammatory remarks against India and threatening Indian-Canadian Hindus to leave Canada amid the diplomatic standoff between New Delhi and Ottawa. The NIA team seized his two properties in Amritsar and Chandigarh. The investigating agency also seized 46 kanals of agricultural land of Pannun in his ancestral village of Khankot in Amritsar district. With expropriation Pannun has lost his rights over the property and it now belongs to the government.

Earlier in 2020, Pannun’s assets were frozen, which meant he could no longer sell them. The government has designated Pannun as a terrorist under Section 51A of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The NIA action comes amid a growing diplomatic row between India and Canada over allegations of New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was shot dead by two unidentified miscreants outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, a city in the Canadian province of British Columbia, on June 18.

Earlier this month a so-called Khalistan referendum was held in Surrey despite India conveying its concerns to Canada over a crackdown on anti-India activities on Canadian soil. At a meeting held in Surrey on September 10, Pannun issued threats against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Foreign Minister Jaishankar and other top leaders.