2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Denies Reports Nuclear Scientist Has B

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
02 July 2007

Pakistani officials are denying reports that the government has eased travel restrictions¹ on disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan. He has been under strict house arrest since 2004 after he confessed to selling nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

AQ Khan (file photo)

Foreign Ministry² spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam on Monday sharply rejected media reports suggesting the government has ended AQ Khan's house arrest.

"There is no change in his status," said Aslam. "He continues to lead a quiet life with his family."

The denial comes a day after local media quoted unnamed government sources as saying the strict limits on Khan's movements were lifted last month.

The reports said the disgraced scientist was free to visit friends and attend dinner parties in and around the capital.

Khan is considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear program and remains³ a popular figure throughout the country.

In January 2004 he confessed to running a massive network that smuggled⁴ critical nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea, Libya and other countries.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan but placed him under virtual house arrest.

He refused to let international investigators⁵ question Khan and the full extent of the smuggling⁶ network has never been revealed.

The unconfirmed reports of his release come just days after U.S. lawmakers renewed demands for direct access to the Pakistani scientist.

During a hearing in Washington last week, Congressman⁷ Gary Ackerman said Khan's smuggling network was likely still active, albeit⁸ under different leadership.

He described the issue as the single worst case of nuclear proliferation in the last 50 years.

"What is most startling is not the scope of Khan's network, that stretched as far as we know across 10 countries and involved at least 30 companies and middlemen, but that so few countries, companies or individuals have been held accountable," said Ackeman. "Apparently⁹ the stiffest penalty the Pakistani government can impose on those that sell the nuclear crown jewels is house arrest."

Pakistani officials have dismissed Ackerman's comments and say the government has cooperated with international agents and shared the findings from its investigation¹⁰ into Khan's smuggling network.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 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。

4 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。