美国国家公共电台 NPR Militants, Police Killed In Failed Attack On Chinese Consulate In Karachi

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Two acts of violence in Pakistan today highlighted two trends in that giant country. One attack was a bomb at an open-air vegetable market. Early estimates found more than 35 people were killed in the explosion. The attack was inside a town that's home to many Shiite Muslims, who are a minority in Pakistan and often targeted. Now, the other attack was in the giant city of Karachi. Someone targeted the Chinese Consulate¹ there. Pakistan is one of many U.S. allies in which China plays an ever-larger role. So let's talk about that with NPR's Diaa Hadid, who's following the story. Hi there, Diaa.

DIAA HADID, BYLINE²: Hi.

INSKEEP: First, the attack itself - what happened?

HADID: So early this morning, three gunmen blasted their way onto the grounds of the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, and they tried to attack the building itself. But they were prevented by police, who engaged them in a gun battle. And you could hear the blasts in videos that were uploaded from the area. And they killed all three militants⁴. Two policemen were killed, and so were a father and son who'd gone to the consulate that morning to - apparently⁵ to pick up their visas.

INSKEEP: And I guess we should mention this is a kind of attack that we sometimes see in unstable⁶ areas. It's not a car bomb. It's not a suicide bomb. It's people coming in person, and they're trying to be an assault force, although they were driven - they were destroyed - killed here.

HADID: Right. And in this case, the attack was claimed by a group called the Baloch Liberation Army. And they've long had grievances⁷ against China's involvement in Pakistan. And in a statement reported by wire agencies, they said they were fighting China's occupation of Pakistan. So this is different from other militant³ attacks that do occur in Pakistan.

INSKEEP: OK. Americans hearing this might be surprised to think that anybody believes China occupies Pakistan. What exactly are they talking about?

HADID: Right. So China and Pakistan have a really old strategic relationship. It goes back 70 years. And it's really sort of taken off in recent years. China is investing billions of dollars into Pakistan's energy and into its infrastructure⁸. And Pakistan relies on China for billions of dollars in loans that keeps this country afloat. But this relationship does have its discontents. And one of them are people who live in this very poor province of Balochistan. There, China's investing in this enormous port called Gwadar. And we've spoken in the past to Baloch activists¹⁰ who allege¹¹ that the expansion of the port has displaced fishermen. It's siphoned off water and left residents with nowhere to go. And they say that Pakistani forces have taken a harder line against Baloch activists under the pretext¹² of trying to preserve China's security there. So there is simmering resentment¹³.

INSKEEP: Oh, so they feel that they are basically victims of an imperial force - that there's even more strong crackdowns on the Baloch activists just because the Chinese demand it.

HADID: That's right. And last year, we even documented a woman who was searching for her son. He was a Baloch activist⁹ in the city of Karachi. And we've seen increasing numbers here of people who've been disappeared - most likely by Pakistani security forces, according to activists, because they've been agitating¹⁴ against China's involvement in Balochistan.

INSKEEP: So what does an attack like this, unsuccessful as it was, say about China's involvement in Pakistan?

HADID: Well, the relationship is still strong. But what this might do is deter¹⁵ more Chinese investment in Pakistan. And that's something this country desperately¹⁶ needs right now.

INSKEEP: Diaa, thanks for the update. Really appreciate it.

HADID: You're welcome, Steve.

INSKEEP: That's NPR's Diaa Hadid in Islamabad.

1 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

7 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

12 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

13 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

14 agitating   

搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论

参考例句：

• political groups agitating for social change 鼓吹社会变革的政治团体
• They are agitating to assert autonomy. 他们正在鼓吹实行自治。

15 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

16 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。