VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan Denies Report Linking Spy Service to K

Pakistani officials are denying reports that the country's intelligence service helped plan last month's fatal bombing of the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan. Reports to that effect in U.S. newspapers come just a day before the first ever meeting between the current prime ministers of India and Pakistan is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from Colombo, where regional leaders have gathered for an annual summit.

In the hours before the prime ministers of India and Pakistan are to meet here, Pakistani officials are finding themselves doing political damage control.

They are calling "baseless" U.S. media reports that Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence Agency, known as the ISI, had a hand in the July 7 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan's capital.

Foreign Ministry¹ spokesman Mohammad Sadiq tells VOA News his government has not received any evidence supporting the allegation.

"Nobody has given us any proof. We have said if there is any proof of Pakistan's involvement we would like to see the proof of that because merely alleging² something means nothing," he said. "And we believe it's not a very good trend to put blame on Pakistan's door whenever something happens in the region."

Stories in the New York Times and Washington Post newspapers say U.S. officials intercepted³ communications between Pakistani officials and those in Afghanistan who carried out the attack.

Sadiq was asked if rogue⁴ elements of the intelligence service could be operating without the knowledge of the prime minister or other high-ranking government and military officials.

"ISI is an agency which is linked with Pakistan Army, it reports to the prime minister," he said. "Do you think that is possible that agencies would do something like this?"

Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is scheduled to meet on Saturday in Colombo with Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. The two are among the heads of government attending the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Tensions between India and Pakistan, as well as the deteriorating⁵ relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan are threatening to overshadow the summit.

The July 7 bombing of India's embassy in Kabul killed 41 people, including four Indians.

India has accused Pakistan of taking part in the bombing, and warned that the peace process between the two, longtime rivals was "under stress." But following a meeting with Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday here, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters "a lot of steam has been let out of the pressure cooker."

Earlier in the week, India had accused Pakistani troops of crossing the Line of Control where a cease-fire has been in place for eight years. Pakistan has rejected the claim.

Kashmir has been the catalyst⁶ for two of the three wars fought between India and Pakistan.

 

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

3 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

4 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

5 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

6 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。