2006年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Fights Another War in Remote Prov

By Gary Thomas
Washington
02 March 2006

Part of the reason for President Bush's trip to Pakistan is to bolster¹ support for anti-terrorist efforts against remnants of the Taleban and al-Qaida.  But as VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports from Washington, Pakistan's other war as it has been called may affect some counterterrorism operations.

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Pervez Musharraf   
  

As if cross-border terrorism and radical² Islamists were not trouble enough, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is also confronting resurgent nationalism and insurgency³ in the remote southwestern province of Balochistan.

Attacks by armed insurgents⁴ on gas pipelines⁵ began in 2004 and continued to rise in 2005. Paramilitary forces of the Frontier Corps⁶ are locked in battle with insurgents of the shadowy Baloch Liberation Army.  Human rights groups charge the government with human rights abuses in the province. And some analysts⁷ believe that al-Qaida and Taleban remnants along Afghanistan's southern border are exploiting the unrest to their advantage.

In a telephone interview Agha Shahid Bugti, general-secretary of the nationalist Jamhoori Watan Party and spokesman for the large and powerful Bugti clan⁸, says the Baloch grievances⁹ are simple. 

"Gas has been taken away and Balochistan province gets nothing out of it," he says. "And other minerals, everything has been taken away and, again, they get nothing.  And particularly in form of royalties¹⁰ they get very meager¹¹ amount, the provincial¹² government gets a very meager amount.  So this has been developing and developing.  And today the situation has become worse and worse."

Balochistan is vast and sparsely¹³ populated, making up 43 percent of Pakistan's land mass but holding only about five percent of the country's population.  Bordering both Afghanistan and Iran, it is not only rich in resources like gas, but has strategic military and economic significance for Pakistan.  With Chinese help, the federal government is building a new deep water port at Gwadar along the Balochistan coast.  Located close to the Strait of Hormuz, it will benefit neighboring Iran, Afghanistan, and China, as well as the countries of Central Asia as an outlet¹⁴ to the sea.

The Baloch, who were forcibly incorporated into Pakistan at independence in 1947, feel they have not benefited from their province's wealth and have been exploited by Punjabis in the capital of Islamabad.  From 1973 to 1977, the government ruthlessly suppressed a rebellion by tribal¹⁵ Baloch separatists that left five thousand Baloch fighters and three thousand Pakistani troops dead

The government says Baloch nationalism is simply being exploited by corrupt¹⁶ tribal rulers, known as sardars, that have held power for years in a feudal¹⁷ system. 

The sardars are extortionists who are controlling people with their own private militias¹⁸, charges President Musharraf, who has vowed¹⁹ to crush any Baloch rebellion.

The government also denies that the regular army is involved in operations in Balochistan.  Neither side's claim can be independently verified as the government has barred journalists and diplomats²⁰ from the province. 

Although public attention to anti-terrorist efforts has generally focused on Pakistan's eastern frontier, Taleban and al-Qaida remnants have also been using the vast territory of Balochistan to move back and forth²¹ between Pakistan and southern Afghanistan.

Selig Harrison, of the Center for International Policy and author of a book on Baloch nationalism, says the Baloch insurgency is one reason why Pakistani counterterrorism efforts have not been as energetic as the United States would like.

"Usually the explanation is that the terrain²² is very difficult, or the Pakistani intelligence services and armed forces have a number of sympathizers of the al-Qaida and Taleban in them and that they're deliberately²³ pulling their punches.  But I think really an equally important reason for the failure of Pakistan to go all-out in those border areas along the Afghan border is the fact that Musharraf has had to divert significant military resources to Balochistan to try to deal with this continuing insurgency there," Harrison says.

In a recent report, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan describes Balochistan as being in what it terms a war-like situation and accuses security forces of gross human rights violations²⁴.

US President George W. Bush, left, meets with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf   
  
Shahid Bugti says President Bush should raise the issue of Balochistan with President Musharraf.

"When President Bush claims that he's for democracy, he tells other countries, particularly the Middle East, they should move toward democracy," he says.  "I don't know why doesn't he apply the same rule or the same principle in this country.  He should."

U.S. officials say that is not likely.  One official, who asked not to be named, says U.S. attention has focused on counterterrorism efforts in the North West Frontier Province and confesses there is little official knowledge or interest in Balochistan. But, he adds, there may be a more determined²⁵ effort by U.S. officials to find out what is going on in Balochistan after President Bush's Pakistan visit.

1 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 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。

8 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

9 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

11 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

12 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。

13 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

15 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

16 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

17 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

18 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

19 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

20 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

22 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

23 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

24 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

25 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。