VOA常速英语2007年-Bhutto Claims Army, Diverted to Protests, Losin

By Ravi Khanna
Washington, D.C.
15 November 2007
 

Pakistan's former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, has said President Musharraf is losing his battle against Islamic extremists in the tribal¹ areas such as Waziristan and Swat Valley.  She says he is diverting the army to enforce emergency rule and arrest opposition² activists³. Meanwhile, experts say General Musharraf's crackdown on the private television media could endanger the government itself. VOA 's Ravi Khanna reports.

The emergency rule in Pakistan has triggered widespread street protests.  The government has been using the Army, along with police and paramilitary forces, to quell⁴ the demonstrations⁵.  Some analysts⁶ assert, because of that, the Army is too distracted to fight Islamic insurgency⁷ in Pakistan's tribal areas. 

Farooq Hasnat, a scholar of Pakistani origin at the Middle East Institute in Washington, says that General Musharraf has weakened the army and hurt its morale⁸ by using it for his political agenda.

"It seems that because the army has been involved so much in the civilian⁹ affairs that the army has lost some of its professionalism,” says Hasnat. “We witnessed that when the army went in Waziristan (to fight against pro-Taliban militants). We saw that 1,000 soldiers were killed. In Swat also their performance was less than desired."

Hasnat says he believes there is dissension in the army over General Musharraf's crackdown. "There must be certain groups who might not agree with General Musharraf's policy vis-a-vis clamp down on his own people and the way he came harsh -- the manner in which he violated human rights of the Pakistani public."

The clampdown includes a ban on all private TV channels, a sector¹⁰ of the economy that was growing fast. Some say that hurts the economy. President Musharraf said he shut down the media because it was feeding extremism and hurting the security of the country. 

Caroline Wadhams of the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress does not agree. "He is cracking down on the media because the media has actually shown increasing criticism of General Musharraf and they have been telling the real story in Pakistan. And he does not want that story to be heard," she says.

Pakistani journalists demonstrate daily; reporters and editors, along with some experts, saying the crackdown was all part of a plan by General Musharraf's advisors¹¹ to establish total control over the country.

But Walter Andersen, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based School of Advanced International Studies says it is not going to work. "If we can't have legitimate¹² news then exaggerated news often takes its place. And that could be dangerous as well to the administration and the government in power."

Andersen says that restoring democracy could work to President Musharraf's own benefit because it would be more stabilizing¹³, a circumstance he says Benazir Bhutto and others also want.

"They have that in common, if they could only cooperate now with each other against what is the common threat. And the common threat I think is two fold, militancy¹⁴ is one and poverty is the other," he adds.

General Musharraf has said he wants to hold the elections before January 9th and the state of emergency will continue indefinitely.  But the analysts say elections cannot be free and fair until the emergency is lifted and the judiciary restored.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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》

4 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 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。

7 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

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 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。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

14 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。