VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Battles Militancy, Political

A persistent¹ Taliban militancy² is wreaking³ havoc⁴ across the country while a reinvigorated political scandal threatens to bring President Asif Ali Zardari's government to its knees.

Sean Maroney | Islamabad 17 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
Pakistani lawyers celebrate Wednesday's Supreme⁵ Court decision in Lahore, Pakistan, 17 Dec 2009

As Pakistani forces intensified⁶ anti-terror operations along the Afghan border, Taliban militants⁷ brought the fight to the Pakistani people with a wave of suicide bombings and targeted attacks.

Militants have launched coordinated⁸ attacks in urban centers across the country.

Peace plan unsuccessful

At the start of 2009, the Pakistani government tried to pursue a peace plan with the Taliban in and around Swat Valley.

But the Taliban broke the terms of the peace deal and advanced to within 60 kilometers of the capital, Islamabad.  There also were reports that the Taliban were committing human rights abuses, including forcing the closure of girls' schools. 

Pakistani Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani said the government had to respond.

 

 
AFP
A Pakistani army soldier stands guard at a checkpoint in the garrison⁹ city of Rawalpindi, 05 Dec 2009

"The NWFP [North West Frontier Government] government previously¹⁰ tried to go into a dialogue with the militants, but unfortunately that also failed," he explained.  "So we have no other option but to control the situation through our law-enforcing agencies."

Swat becomes war zone

About 2.5 million people fled the violence.  Swat Valley, which used to be an idyllic¹¹ holiday spot in South Asia, quickly turned into a war zone.

By mid-2009, the U.S. Special Envoy¹² for the region, Richard Holbrooke, commended Pakistan for making significant gains in Swat and the surrounding districts.

"We have said it before and let me say it again: Afghanistan cannot be stabilized¹³ unless Pakistan does its part in its western regions.  And right now, finally, the Pakistani army is engaged in a very significant military offensive against the Taliban," said Holbrooke.

New strategy targets Taliban

But at the same time, the United States and its NATO and Afghan allies began facing a strengthening Taliban insurgency¹⁴ in Afghanistan.  Washington began pressing Islamabad to expand its operations to the Waziristan tribal¹⁵ areas and tackle militants with explicit¹⁶ ties to the other side of the border.

Pakistan agreed, but did not offer any definite timeline.  Critics accused the government of capitulating to U.S. demands and accepting increased U.S. aid that would undermine Pakistan's authority over its military.

But in October, things changed. First, a suicide bomber¹⁷ targeted the U.N. World Food Program headquarters in Islamabad.  Less than a week later, militants launched an audacious assault on the country's army headquarters in neighboring Rawalpindi.  Militants also carried out three separate attacks in one day in Lahore, targeting Pakistan's security forces.

After these attacks, Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas announced the military had launched operations in South Waziristan against Taliban believed to operate exclusively in Pakistan.

"Any kind of instability in this region, or in this area, would radiate or affect instability in the other area," he said.  "Therefore, one always looks forwards to more stability on the other side of the border.  Because if the other side is stable and peaceful, that would transmit stability and peace on our side of the border also."

More progress needed

But the top U.S. military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, tells VOA that Pakistan still needs to expand its operations.  He says Pakistan needs to target Taliban who are believed to have fled Afghanistan to operate in sanctuaries¹⁸ in the North Waziristan tribal region.

"It is those Taliban that are killing¹⁹ Americans.  It is those Taliban that are killing Afghans.  It is those Taliban that are killing coalition²⁰ forces from our allies, so it is going to take pressure on all extremist groups," noted²¹ Admiral Mullen.

Fighting for survival

As the military battles militants in the tribal regions, Pakistan's government fights for its very survival in Islamabad.

International Relations Associate Professor Ishtiaq Ahmad at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, warns of possible political chaos²² if corruption²³ charges are reopened against those close to the president.

"Political instability is the last thing that can happen in Pakistan because when [a] political crisis occurs, [the] economy goes down," he said. "And these two things are unaffordable when a country is facing a severe terrorist threat."

Uncertain future

Analysts²⁴ say President Zardari already is making moves to protect his political future by shifting more power to the Parliament.  The Pakistani president recently relinquished²⁵ some of his powers, including the control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal²⁶, to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

As Pakistan enters 2010, it faces a battle on two fronts: against militants and against itself.
 

1 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

2 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

3 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

4 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

5 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。

6 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

12 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

13 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

15 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。

16 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

17 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

18 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

19 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

20 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

21 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

22 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

23 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

24 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

25 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。

26 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。