美国国家公共电台 NPR--Terrorism charges are filed against Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan

Terrorism charges are filed against Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan

Transcript¹

In an escalation² of political tensions with the current leadership in Pakistan, terrorism charges have been filed against the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Authorities in Pakistan have filed terrorism charges against a former prime minister.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The prime minister is Imran Khan. He was ousted³ last spring in a no-confidence vote, and he has refused to accept his defeat. He gave a speech over the weekend criticizing police and a judge, and that is what has triggered the criminal charges.

INSKEEP: NPR's Diaa Hadid is in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Hey there, Diaa.

DIAA HADID, BYLINE⁴: Good morning.

INSKEEP: Exact words would matter here. What did Imran Khan seem to say?

HADID: He had actually threatened to file cases against two senior police officers and a female judge. But in terms of the judge, he also said she should prepare herself, as actions would be taken against her. This coming from a man whose supporters - quite notorious for taking action into their own hands and threatening people online, at the very least. So it could have been interpreted as a threat against this woman.

INSKEEP: OK. So he makes this statement. The police file this thing called a first information report, which is part of the criminal process in Pakistan. He hasn't been arrested yet. But there is a law enforcement activity against a former national leader. How have his supporters taken this news?

HADID: Well, his supporters have rushed to his palatial⁵ home in Islamabad. They've formed a human barrier around it. And his lawyers have successfully appealed to the court to prevent his arrest until at least Thursday. I should add that it's not unusual in Pakistan for former prime ministers to have these sorts of actions taken against them once they fall out of favor.

INSKEEP: Certainly there are some former prime ministers who've ended up in prison over the years. But why would the authorities, the current authorities, the coalition⁶ government that took over, go after him now if, in fact, that's the way that we should think of this?

HADID: It seems that he is losing the patience of Pakistan's security establishment, which is the country's most powerful institution. If I can step back a bit, you see; he was in power and was widely seen as being propelled to power with the military support, but he was ousted in April when he lost a no-confidence motion. And that was seen as coming around because the military had signaled that it no longer supported him. But Khan, like many civilian⁷ leaders in Pakistan, hasn't accepted that result. He's been staging large rallies around the country, where he's been critical of the military for not supporting his party. And that's key because that's pushed him into dangerous political territory here.

And it came around - in mid-August, things really seemed to escalate⁸. Authorities arrested his chief aide, whom they accuse of inciting⁹ against the military, calling on soldiers to disobey orders. They've shut down pro-Khan TV stations. And by Saturday, the government seemed to have had enough. Authorities blocked the live transmission of his speech at a rally. And when his supporters said they'd carry it on dozens of YouTube channels live, the government blocked YouTube. And then he was charged.

INSKEEP: It sounds like he still has a lot of supporters around the country.

HADID: He does. And this is bitterly polarizing the country. And one of the things is that Khan has really used these crises to elevate himself even more. He's winning by-elections across the country. And he's repeated these grievances¹⁰. He's amplified¹¹ them on social media. And I've spoken to one analyst¹² here who says broad civil unrest is unlikely, even if there's some sporadic¹³ clashes in the next few days, but if Imran Khan is arrested, what that will do is elevate his stature¹⁴ even more. It will send this country hurtling into more political crisis.

INSKEEP: NPR's Diaa Hadid. Thanks so much.

HADID: Thank you, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 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。

5 palatial   

adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的

参考例句：

• Palatial office buildings are being constructed in the city.那个城市正在兴建一些宫殿式办公大楼。
• He bought a palatial house.他买了套富丽堂皇的大房子。

6 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。

7 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。

8 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

9 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

10 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》

11 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

14 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。