2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Reopens Corruption Charges Against Sha

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
07 September 2007

The Pakistani government has reopened a corruption¹ case against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and a court has ordered the arrest of Mr. Sharif's brother. The reopening of the case comes just three days before Mr. Sharif was due to return to Pakistan to challenge General Pervez Musharraf for the presidency². From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

A woman walks past posters of  Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif displayed by their supporters in Lahore, 03 Sep 2007

Pakistan's special anti-terror court issued the arrest orders for Mr. Sharif's brother Shahbaz on Friday.

The case dates back to 1998 when Sharif, then a provincial³ minister, was accused of ordering police to kill five men in Punjab province.

Shahbaz Sharif and his brother, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, are due to return to Pakistan Monday to challenge President Pervez Musharraf's bid for another five year term in office.

Pervez Musharraf (May 2007 photo)

General Musharraf ousted⁴ Nawaz Sharif in a military coup⁵ in 1999. But the president's hold on power appears to be slipping, and Nawaz Sharif's return is seen as a major challenge to the beleaguered⁶ president.

In addition to Friday's ruling, the government has also reopened a series of corruption cases against the former prime minister.

The brothers' supporters say the cases are politically motivated.

"It shows how nervous they are and how much in panic they are. They cannot face him politically," said Ahsen Iqbal, a spokesman for Mr. Sharif's political party, the PMLN.

He says the Sharifs will follow through on their pledge to return to Pakistan September 10.

Both were sent into exile in 2000 and agreed to stay out of Pakistan for at least 10 years.

But the Supreme⁷ Court, whose Chief Justice Mr. Musharraf tried but failed to replace earlier this year, ended the former prime minister's exile last month.

The government has not said how it will respond to the brothers' return, but analysts⁸ say they face possible arrest or deportation⁹.

Ahsan Iqbal insists the courts will ultimately exonerate¹¹ the brothers and overturn the government's attempts to prevent their return.

"Now the government faces a choice. If they deport¹⁰ him, they have to deport the Supreme Court and the constitution," he said.

Supporters of Nawaz Sharif leave for Islamabad to receive their leader at Karachi Railway Station, 07 Sep 2007

Thousands of Sharif supporters are expected to meet the former prime minister when he reaches Islamabad.

Ahsan says more than a thousand PMLN workers have already been arrested, and a broader crackdown is expected before Monday.

President Musharraf meanwhile is reportedly still pursuing a possible power-sharing deal with another former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Mr. Musharraf is expected to seek re-election by October 15, followed by national elections in the next few months.

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 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。

5 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。

6 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 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。

9 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

10 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

11 exonerate   

v.免除责任，确定无罪

参考例句：

• Nothing can exonerate her from that.任何解释都难辞其咎。
• There is no reason to exonerate him from the ordinary duties of a citizen.没有理由免除他做公民应尽的义务。