VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistani Lawyers Prepare Cross-Country March f

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
09 June 2008

Thousands of lawyers gathered in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi to begin a cross-country march demanding the return of senior judges sacked by President Musharraf last November. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that at least one major political party has signed onto the march, boosting hopes that the movement will gain broader public support.
　

Pakistani lawyers leave High Court building to join long march demanding reinstatement of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf in Karachi, 09 Jun 2008

Pakistan's black-suited lawyers have become a fixture¹ in the country's tumultuous politics, especially after President Pervez Musharraf declared emergency law last November and sacked most of the justices on the Supreme² Court.

Lawyers led the protests against the action - forming the backbone³ of a movement that propelled opposition⁴ parties to dominate February elections.

But since then, Mr. Musharraf has remained in power, and the new government has been deadlocked⁵ over how to restore the judges. Former Pakistan Bar Association president Hamid Khan says lawyers are tired of the lack of progress and are expecting more results than the last time they took to the streets.

"This time, this movement has spread across the board to all other sections of the civil society and we are very hopeful that our movement will be successful," he said.

Leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Party have said they will join the march that will make its way to the capital this weekend.

Khan says the organizers demands are very simple, remove the president from office and restore the judges.

"We do not recognize him as president," he said. "We are asking the parliament - the government - to restore the judges as they already have promised."

The Pakistan People's Party has said it supports reinstating the judges, but has argued that doing so involves a complex set of legal issues. The lawyers movement and the PML-N have rejected that argument.

1 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

2 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。

3 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

4 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。

5 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。