VOA常速英语2007年-Deposed Top Judge in Pakistan Urges Resistance

By Leta Hong Fincher
Washington
07 November 2007
 

Protests continue in Pakistan against President Pervez Musharraf's state of emergency. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday and Pakistan's deposed¹ chief justice urged lawyers to demand that the constitution be reinstated. VOA's Leta Hong Fincher has more.

Lawyers and Pakistani officials say authorities have arrested more than 1,500 people since President Musharraf imposed emergency rule late Saturday. In the central city Multan, hundreds of lawyers clashed with police on Tuesday.

"Police started the aggression² and they tried to use violent force as they were guided by their seniors and we are very peaceful," said Syed Kanjom, a lawyer in Multan.

The ousted³ chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme⁴ Court, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, called on supporters to rise up and restore the constitution. "I request the community of lawyers to go to every corner of Pakistan and give the message that this is the time to sacrifice. Don't be afraid," he said.

Chaudhry has been under house arrest since General Musharraf fired him Saturday.

Benazir Bhutto arrived in Islamabad to meet with opposition⁵ party leaders. She said she will not negotiate with General Musharraf and urged him to hold parliamentary elections in January as originally planned. "The talks are off because we were talking for a restoration towards democracy. And to my great surprise and shock instead of going towards democracy we ended up with martial⁶ law. So I feel it was a breach⁷ of faith," she said.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the Bush administration is reviewing possible cuts in U.S. aid to Pakistan. But she also said Pakistan remains⁸ an ally in the war on terrorism. "We have a lot of cooperative interests. We have a broad relationship and we cannot lose sight of the fact that we have very serious counterterrorism operations that are currently underway in Pakistan as well," she said.

Some analysts⁹ warn that General Musharraf's actions are hurting Pakistan's moderates more than militant¹⁰ extremists.

"The people who are being controlled at this point are the natural allies of enlightened moderation, the lawyers, the civil society activists¹¹. So far he [General Musharraf] has not gone after Benazir Bhutto's PPP [Pakistan People's Party] and there's a big question about how they will play their cards. But certainly the action he has taken will tend to drive both parts of his opposition into each other's arms as long as he is there," said Teresita Schaffer, head of the South Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

General Musharraf's cabinet met Tuesday to discuss a timetable for parliamentary elections, but officials say no decision has been made on whether elections will be delayed.

1 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

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 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

7 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 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。

10 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

11 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》