美国国家公共电台 NPR--Pakistan's government vows harsh steps against rival Imran Khan

Pakistan's government vows¹ harsh steps against rival Imran Khan

Transcript²

Pakistan's parliament will meet Wednesday to discuss the tense political situation. Local media suggest members will consider outlawing⁴ the party headed by former prime minister Imran Khan.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In Pakistan, political tensions are running high.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Yeah. You could almost say Pakistani politics are continuously tense - a history of coups⁵ and protests and executions and insurgencies and movements. But this latest episode is distinctive⁶. The government has been investigating a former prime minister, Imran Khan. They've accused him of corruption⁷ even as he tries to reclaim⁸ power. His party has staged protests, which have continued up to now, prompting talks this week that the government could outlaw³ Khan's party.

FADEL: NPR's Diaa Hadid is following this story in Islamabad. And she joins us now. Good morning.

DIAA HADID, BYLINE⁹: Good morning.

FADEL: OK. So tell us what's happening right now.

HADID: Well, the Pakistani parliament is meeting today to discuss the political situation. But as Steve mentioned, local media suggests that they'll consider outlawing the party that's headed by the former prime minister, Imran Khan. And that comes after clashes last week between Khan supporters and security forces when police tried to arrest the former prime minister. And there were clashes again on Saturday outside the courts in the capital, Islamabad. And since then, there's been mass arrests of Imran Khan's supporters. And one of Khan's close allies is a fellow called Taimur Jhagra. He's a former provincial¹⁰ finance minister. And he's warning that outlawing Khan's party will be a mistake.

TAIMUR JHAGRA: It will further erode¹¹ the political temperature in the country. And that's not good for Pakistan given how volatile¹² the political situation is. It will make Imran Khan even more popular because it will make the bias¹³ of the government even more naked.

HADID: Even more naked. And as parliament plans to meet, Khan will be holding a large rally in Lahore. That's Pakistan's second-largest city. So it's likely to be a show of muscle.

FADEL: So this sounds like a really worrying trajectory¹⁴, then. This is a popular political figure. How did it all get here?

HADID: Well, let's step back a bit. Khan was ousted¹⁵ from power in April last year in a no confidence vote. He didn't have the numbers. He's been calling for elections since then. But a few months ago, it became increasingly clear that Khan's popularity was on the rise. And the government's popularity was tanking. And so the government doesn't want to lose power. But also, analysts¹⁷ say the government's cracking down hard on Imran Khan because he pursued a crackdown against them when he was in power. And if there are free and fair elections, Khan's party now would likely have the largest number of votes. And so that cycle of revenge may well continue. So analysts say they're not optimistic of a breakthrough anytime soon, like Amber¹⁸ Rahim Shamsi. She was one of Pakistan's leading journalists. Now she's an analyst¹⁶.

AMBER RAHIM SHAMSI: I hope better sense prevails. And I think, at the moment, we're really grasping at hope. I fear more violence because obviously Imran Khan is not backing down despite all his indications that he's willing to talk.

FADEL: Now, Diaa, as we heard Steve say, Pakistan has faced many crises over the years. Why is this more worrying than other times?

HADID: So analysts say this is an important moment because Pakistan is facing multiple snowballing crises right now. The country is on the brink¹⁹ of default. Inflation is soaring. People are skipping meals to get by. Five million people are on the brink of famine. Climate change is battering²⁰ the country with heatwaves and floods. And all the forces that once helped smooth over the country's problems just don't appear to be working. Pakistan's military appears to be openly divided about Imran Khan, so are the courts, so are lawyers and so are people.

FADEL: NPR's Diaa Hadid in Islamabad. Thank you so much.

HADID: Thank you, Leila.

1 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

4 outlawing   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Regulations are outlawing certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which contain ozone-depleting chemicals. 随后出台的政策禁用了部分制冷剂，如破坏臭氧层的氟氯碳化合物。
• An amendment outlawing sale of intoxicating liquors(1920)was repealed in 1933. 规定售卖酒类为非法的一个宪法修正案（一九二○年）在一九三三年被废止。

5 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

6 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

7 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。

8 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 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。

11 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

12 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

13 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

14 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

15 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。

16 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

17 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。

18 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

19 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

20 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》