VOA常速英语2007年-Pakistan Undergoes Year of Turmoil

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
28 December 2007
 

The death of one of the most liberal figures in Pakistani politics ends a turbulent year for one of the U.S.' staunchest allies in the war on terrorism. It could also mark the beginning of another tumultuous year for Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Musharraf has been embroiled¹ in several ongoing² battles: the rising tide of extremism in tribal³ areas, and the continuing struggle for political control. VOA's Mil Arcega filed this report.

Benazir Bhutto's assassination⁴ in the waning⁵ days of 2007 marks a tragic⁶ end to what has been a tumultuous year for Pakistan. Her death following a suicide bombing at a political rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 marks a turning point for a country embroiled in a struggle between religious extremists and the liberal democratic forces she led. Bhutto was no stranger to violence. Her father was hanged in 1979 following a military coup⁷. Her return to Karachi in October after years of exile resulted in a suicide bombing attack which narrowly missed the 54-year-old former prime minister.

More than 130 people were killed in the bombing. The government blamed the attack on pro⁸ al-Qaida militants⁹.

After the first unsuccessful attack, Bhutto blamed President Musharraf for allowing extremists to hold the country hostage. "The political process is under attack, political leaders are being bombed, political activists¹⁰ are being bombed our country is in danger. Our country is in danger from the extremism that has spread under dictatorship," she said.

A few weeks after his re-election for another five year term as president - Musharraf imposed a state of emergency and suspended the country's constitution.

President Musharraf defended the emergency rule, citing political turmoil¹¹ and rising terrorism in parts of the country. He said, "Inaction at this moment is suicide for Pakistan and I cannot allow this country to commit suicide."

The country's political problems started earlier in the year, after Mr. Musharraf suspended the country's chief justice in March. The move outraged¹² many in Pakistan and sparked violent street protests.

Thousands of pro-democracy activists were detained, judges believed to be hostile to the government were dismissed and Pakistan's independent television stations, which ironically came into being under Mr. Musharraf, were forced off the air.

The Supreme¹³ Court later reinstated the justice. But the increasing independence of the judiciary was seen as a threat to Mr. Musharraf's re-election plans while still the chief of the military -- a move considered by many in Pakistan to be unconstitutional.

Pakistani forces, meanwhile, continued anti-terror operations to secure tribal regions near the Afghan border -- even as Taliban insurgents¹⁴ continued to advance eastward¹⁵. The Taliban made its presence felt by conducting suicide bombings in major cities.

Prominent human rights activists Asma Jehangir blamed the president for ignoring the warning signs. "The government has continuously refused to heed¹⁶ complaints and warnings from both the public and civil society organizations and has adopted a policy of appeasement¹⁷ of militants," Jehangir said. 

Foreign observers warn the religiously motivated violence could undermine liberal and democratic progress in Pakistan. Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle is head of the U.S-based National Democratic Institute.

"The violence that has persisted in the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) is now seeping¹⁸ into the areas of the NWFP (North-West Frontier Province)," Daschle said. He added, "Extremists in southern districts of the NWFP have been attacking video shops and barber shops that shave beards, in an effort to enforce the religious beliefs on the residences of the province."

Under intense internal and external pressure, [then] General Musharraf relinquished¹⁹ his military post in November to become a civilian²⁰ president and promised to hold free and fair elections in the new year.

"If the integrity of the elections however is seriously compromised and not seen as representative of the will of the people, this nation could face increased civil conflict and the military could become further entrenched²¹ in the nation's political life," Daschle said. 

While President Musharraf has lifted emergency rule and amended²² the country's constitution, he reportedly has no plans to ease restrictions²³ on the media or restore ousted²⁴ judges before the country's scheduled elections in January. "One certainly cannot sacrifice the stability and the development of the nation for the sake of your views on democracy or civil liberties or human rights," Musharraf said.

Critics say President Musharraf will try to keep a strong grip on power by manipulating the polls. Popular approval in the polls might discourage a hostile parliament and dissuade²⁵ it from trying to impeach²⁶ him for imposing²⁷ emergency rule and amending²⁸ the constitution. Most legal experts, however, reject Mr. Musharraf's assertions that amendments²⁹ made during the six-week long state of emergency do not require approval from a new parliament.

But some political observers believe the January elections are now in jeopardy³⁰ because of Bhutto's assassination -- another sign that turmoil in Pakistan will continue in 2008.

1 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

5 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

7 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

8 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

9 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。

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 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

12 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

13 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

14 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

15 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

16 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

17 appeasement   

n.平息，满足

参考例句：

• Music is an appeasement to shattered nerves. 音乐可抚慰受重创的神经。
• There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. 对残暴行为是不能姑息的。 来自演讲部分

18 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

19 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

20 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

21 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

22 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

23 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

24 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

25 dissuade   

v.劝阻，阻止

参考例句：

• You'd better dissuade him from doing that.你最好劝阻他别那样干。
• I tried to dissuade her from investing her money in stocks and shares.我曾设法劝她不要投资于股票交易。

26 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

27 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

28 amending   

改良，修改，修订( amend的现在分词 )； 改良，修改，修订( amend的第三人称单数 )( amends的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Amending acts in 1933,1934, and 1935 attempted to help honest debtors rehabilitate themselves. 一九三三年，一九三四年和一九三五年通过的修正案是为了帮助诚实的债务人恢复自己的地位。
• Two ways were used about the error-amending of contour curve. 采用两种方法对凸轮轮廓曲线进行了修正。

29 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

30 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。