New Delhi: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on July 1 asked the government to place all facts to clarify "doubts" among the people on whether India was sending its troops to Iraq.

Stating that the United States was "vigorously persuading" India to participate in "their effort to stabilise and establish US rule" in Iraq, party Member of Parliament (MP) Hannan Mollah said in a letter to Defence Minister George Fernandes, "You may know whether the US efforts were crossing the border between persuasion and pressure."

Asking the government to differentiate between peace-keeping operations of the Indian Army and the situation in Iraq, he said it appeared that the Indian forces would have to "function under US-British command as part of the occupying force" and said American soldiers were being attacked and killed by protesting Iraqis.

"If Indian troops in these circumstances join the US forces who are suppressing the Iraqi protestors, that will only tarnish our image in the eyes of the Iraqi people with whom we have an age-old relationship," Mollah said.

Stating that the government's "hesitant, ambiguous and mute attitude" on the issue would harm national interests, he said he hoped the government would place all facts to clarify the confusion before the people at the earliest. "All these matters should be placed before the country in a transparent manner."

He also wanted to know whether India would have to bear the expenditure of sending army personnel to Iraq.

PTI