"It does hurt," says Harjit Sajjan, the visiting Canadian Defence Minister, when asked about whether he had any affiliations with the Khalistan movement. According to Mr Sajjan, who is a war veteran and has served several tours of duty in Afghanistan, "I served people who are the men and women in uniform. I've served alongside them. They know who I am and I'm not going to let anyone else define who I am for their political reasons. I have earned my recognition. I wear my history on my chest."