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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Islamabad
16 February 2008
At least 37 people have been killed and 90 injured in a suicide bombing following an election rally in northwestern Pakistan. The bombing comes as politicians in Pakistan were wrapping up their campaigns for Monday's parliamentary elections. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Islamabad.
Security officials say the blast occurred when a suicide bomber1 rammed2 his car into a group of people leaving a rally for a local candidate supported by the party of the slain3 leader, Benazir Bhutto.
The attack came in the town of Parachinar, in the troubled Kurram tribal4 region bordering Afghanistan.
Many of the injured are in critical condition and the death toll5 is expected to rise.
The campaign for Monday's parliamentary elections has been overshadowed by security fears following the assassination6 of former Prime Minister Bhutto in a gun and suicide bomb attack last December.
Most of the victims in this latest blast appear to be supporters of Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.
A wave of suicide bombings has caused bloodshed across Pakistan in recent weeks.
Pakistan's interior minister, Hamid Nawaz Khan, is the top government official responsible for security for the elections.
Khan tells VOA that incidents like the latest bombing are sowing fear among voters and could have a negative impact on turnout at the polls.
"This incident, one more incident like this, where lives get lost and a large number of people get injured, it definitely does affect the people," he said. "It does create an environment of fear, but at the same time we have to surmount7 this difficulty."
Pakistan has deployed8 more than 80,000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of police and paramilitary forces throughout the country in an effort to provide security for the election.
Interior Minister Khan says with more than 64,000 polling stations it is difficult to protect all of them from suicide bombers9.
"So this type of ugly incident, there is a possibility that it could occur on one or two places," he added. "But in a country which is so big, a population of about 160 million people, the degree of risk I would say is insignificant10 when you see it in terms of percentages or the possibilities."
Monday's elections will take place against a backdrop of rising Islamic militancy11 throughout Pakistan and many candidates have been discouraged from holding large rallies.
Security fears are running highest in the lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border.
The elections are considered crucial to restoring democracy to Pakistan following eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf.
Mr. Musharraf's presidency12 is not being contested in this election, but if opposition13 parties win a two-thirds majority in parliament, they would have enough votes to impeach14 him.
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1
bomber
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n.轰炸机,投弹手,投掷炸弹者 | |
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2
rammed
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v.夯实(土等)( ram的过去式和过去分词 );猛撞;猛压;反复灌输 | |
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3
slain
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杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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4
tribal
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adj.部族的,种族的 | |
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5
toll
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n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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6
assassination
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n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
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surmount
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vt.克服;置于…顶上 | |
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8
deployed
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(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用 | |
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9
bombers
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n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 );投弹手;安非他明胶囊;大麻叶香烟 | |
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10
insignificant
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adj.无关紧要的,可忽略的,无意义的 | |
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11
militancy
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n.warlike behavior or tendency | |
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12
presidency
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n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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13
opposition
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n.反对,敌对 | |
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14
impeach
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v.弹劾;检举 | |
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