London: Fresh moves have been initiated by the United States to get Pakistan and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) to send 6,000 and 20,000 troops respectively to Iraq.

Quoting a defence official at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, 'The News' said this pressure on Islamabad and European allies was being put to ensure legitimacy for the recently appointed Governing Council in Iraq and relief for tired American troops there.

He also confirmed that Washington had shelved its plan to involve Indian troops in the peacekeeping mission in Iraq.

Governing Council president Ibrahim Jafari is expected to make a formal request to Islamabad and NATO for troops soon, he added.

Pentagon-backed members of the council, Ahmed Chalabi and Iyad Alawi are reported to have already established contact with Pakistani and NATO officials in this regard. Official visits to these countries are also likely to be taken soon, the source said.

Iraq's former Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi and Mohsen Abdul Hamid, secretary general of the Islamic Party, who are prominent Sunni leaders of the council, have been maintaining close contacts with mainstream religious and political parties in Pakistan and are expected to play key roles in softening the hard stance taken by some religious leaders on sending Pakistani troops to Iraq.

ANI