美国国家公共电台 NPR--Ex-Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf, who aided U.S. war in Afghanistan, has died

Ex-Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf, who aided U.S. war in Afghanistan, has died

Transcript¹

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pervez Musharraf, who was Pakistan's military ruler for nearly a decade, has died in Dubai after a long illness. The 79-year-old four-star general was a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, and a controversial figure at home.

Pakistan's military immediately issued a statement of condolences, as did many politicians, who remained steadfastly² loyal to Musharraf despite his rise to power in a military coup³ in October 1999, when he overthrew⁴ an elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf's time in power was shaped by the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. The attacks were masterminded by al-Qaida leader Osama Bin⁵ Laden⁶, who the Taliban were sheltering in Afghanistan, a country that shares a long border with Pakistan.

"America was sure to react violently, like a wounded bear," he wrote in his autobiography⁷. "If the perpetrator turned out to be al-Qaida, then that wounded bear would come charging straight toward us."

The following day, the then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told Musharraf that Pakistan would either be "with us or against us" while Musharraf alleged⁸ that another American official, whom he did not name, threatened to bomb Pakistan "back into the Stone Age" if it chose the latter, according to The Associated Press.

Musharraf joined the American War on Terror that was initiated⁹ after 9/11.

For a brief period, America and Pakistan became very closely aligned¹⁰, says Omar Waraich who covered the final years of Musharraf's rule for Time Magazine. At the time, "there was a very good relationship that actually worked very well between the two intelligence agencies. They picked up lots and lots of Al Qaida leaders and they picked up lots of other people who ended up in Guantanamo Bay."

Pakistan was used as transit¹¹ for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. And Musharraf tolerated attacks launched by U.S. forces against suspected militants¹² in Pakistan's rugged¹³ border areas.

That didn't stop him from playing what some in Washington called a double game, says Madiha Afzal, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, "cooperating with the US on counter terrorism, while allowing the Taliban to have sanctuary¹⁴ in Pakistan."

She says Pakistan led by Musharraf essentially¹⁵ hedged its bets – looking to a future where the US would depart the region. Pakistan was also hoping that friendly relations with the Taliban would provide it with a buffer¹⁶ against its neighbor and rival, India. Even so, Musharraf also tried to make peace with India, nearly reaching a deal over the disputed territory of Kashmir, the AP reported.

In an interview with NPR in 2015, Musharraf tried to explain Pakistan's thinking on the Taliban: that it wanted to counter India's influence in Afghanistan. "Obviously, Pakistan starts looking for elements who would support Pakistan, who would play our game."

The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, and Afzal says that was partly a result of Musharraf's policies. "The fact that the Taliban had sanctuary in Pakistan... Musharraf was the one who began that policy."

That has left another legacy¹⁷: the deep mistrust that exists between Washington and Islamabad until today as a result of that so-called "double game."

Musharraf also grappled with another scandal under his rule, when it was revealed that a famed Pakistani nuclear scientist, A.Q. Khan, was selling centrifuge designs and other secrets to countries including Iran, Libya and North Korea. Those designs helped Pyongyang to arm itself with a nuclear weapon, while centrifuges from Khan's designs still spin in Iran.

Musharraf also became a controversial figure at home. His troubles came to a head in 2007. Pakistan was grappling with growing extremism, including a local offshoot of the Taliban seizing power of the scenic¹⁸ Swat Valley, about six hours drive from the capital, Islamabad. Militants then seized control of a radical¹⁹ mosque²⁰ in the heart of the capital – just a short distance from Pakistan's notoriously powerful military intelligence wing, known as the ISI.

He was accused of complicity in the assassination²¹ of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. And the trigger for his downfall was when he sacked chief justice Pakistan's Supreme²² Court. That ultimately fermented²³ a movement for the restoration of democracy.

Amid nation-wide protests, Musharraf "doubled down," Waraich recalls. "He imposed an emergency. And he banned journalists. He arrested opposition²⁴ politicians."

Finally, in 2008, Musharraf stepped down. He was later charged with treason for imposing²⁵ emergency rule, and fled Pakistan in 2016, spending his final years in exile. He tried a comeback in 2012, which failed. While in exile, his former political party announced he was diagnosed with a rare disease, amyloidosis.

Pervez Musharraf was born in New Delhi, India, in 1943, the son of a diplomat²⁶. He fled with other Muslims to the new state of Pakistan during after partition in 1947. He joined the army at 18 and made a career there during Pakistan's three wars with India. Just before taking office in 1999, Musharraf made his own attempt to seize part of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Despite the upheaval²⁷ surrounding Musharraf's years in power, he has his defenders²⁸. The economy grew during his leadership, while the country was seen as strategically important. Musharraf, a former special forces commando, was the last military dictator to rule Pakistan.

But the military remains²⁹ Pakatan's most powerful institution, and critics say its generals still hold enormous sway over civilian³⁰ governments – although it is now thinly veiled.

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 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

4 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

5 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

6 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

7 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

10 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

11 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

12 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。

13 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

14 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

15 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

16 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

17 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

18 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

19 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

20 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

21 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

22 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。

23 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

24 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。

25 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

26 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

27 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

28 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 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。

30 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。