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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The governor of Pakistan's Punjab Province has been assassinated1, allegedly by one of his security guards in Islamabad.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the slain2 governor, Salman Taseer, was returning to his car after visiting a shopping center in the Pakistani capital when one of his armed guards sprayed him with bullets.
Witnesses say the Punjab Governor fell down and the attacker dropped his gun before surrendering to police.
Interior Minister Malik told reporters an investigation3 has been ordered into the incident.
The minister says the assassin told investigators4 he killed the Punjab governor because of Taseer's opposition5 to Pakistan's controversial Islamic law of blasphemy6.
Governor Taseer was making efforts to secure the release of a Christian7 woman sentenced to death by a court for making derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammad.
Taseer's actions along with recent demands by human-rights groups to reform the Islamic law to prevent its misuse8 have angered religious parties in the country. Islamic groups have also staged street protests in recent days to warn the government against amending9 the law.
Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, while speaking to VOA, condemned10 the killing11 as a barbaric act. He defended the slain Punjab governor for speaking against the misuse of the Islamic law of blasphemy.
"This cowardly act of violence cannot stop people who believe that this law (blasphemy law) is being misused12 as a tool to victimize the innocent people of Pakistan," Bhatti said. "And I ask the government and other law enforcement agencies to investigate all those who instigated13 the people and issued (the) decrees against the governor."
The assassination14 of the provincial15 governor is the most high-profile killing of a political figure in Pakistan since former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto died in an attack three years ago.
The assassination of Governor Taseer took place as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is scrambling16 to keep his ruling coalition17 in power. His government has lost its majority in parliament in recent weeks, after two of its partners quite the governing coalition.
The country's main opposition party headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it would not force a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Gilani.
But speaking after a party meeting in Islamabad, Mr. Sharif demanded the government must reverse its recent hike in petroleum18 prices, cut government expenditures19 by 30 percent and take legal actions against ruling party officials allegedly involved in corruption20.
The opposition leader set a three-day deadline for Prime Minister Gilani to accept the demands and then show progress within 45 days. Opposition parties have made similar demands in recent months but the Pakistani government has dismissed allegations of poor governance and corruption.
1 assassinated | |
v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 );中伤;诋毁;破坏 | |
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2 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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3 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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4 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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5 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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6 blasphemy | |
n.亵渎,渎神 | |
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7 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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8 misuse | |
n.误用,滥用;vt.误用,滥用 | |
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9 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 ) | |
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10 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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11 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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12 misused | |
v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 );把…派作不正当的用途;虐待;滥用 | |
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13 instigated | |
v.使(某事物)开始或发生,鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14 assassination | |
n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
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15 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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16 scrambling | |
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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17 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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18 petroleum | |
n.原油,石油 | |
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19 expenditures | |
n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 );使用;(尤指金钱的)支出额;(精力、时间、材料等的)耗费 | |
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20 corruption | |
n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
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