VOA常速英语2007年-Pakistani Opposition Considers Alternatives Aft

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
14 November 2007

Security forces in Pakistan have largely succeeded in preventing mass protest rallies since emergency rule was imposed on November 3. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that political opposition¹ parties are now discussing alternate ways to oppose President Pervez Musharraf, but are reluctant to boycott² January's planned elections.

Opposition party leader Imran Khan is the latest outspoken³ critic of General Musharraf to be detained by police. Officers arrested the former cricket star at a university protest rally in Lahore Wednesday, days after he went into hiding to evade⁴ detention⁵.

Lawyers, journalists and other groups continue to hold small-scale demonstrations⁶ against emergency rule. But Pakistan's opposition remains⁷ splintered, with nearly all top organizers in detention or exile.

That includes former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who has been placed under house arrest for a second time to prevent her from leading a mass protest against emergency rule.

Sherry Rehman, a spokeswoman for Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, says the party is now holding talks with other opposition parties about forming a broader coalition⁸. The aim, she says, would be to force a restoration of democracy.

"We're in talks about a single-point agenda to restore democracy," she said.

Ms. Bhutto, who returned to Pakistan recently under a power-sharing deal with President Musharraf, now says she could no longer serve in a future government with him. But Rehman says the party is not ready to boycott the January elections, which General Musharraf says can be held perfectly⁹ well under emergency rule.

"That is a very major decision for a federal party with a large grassroots constituency," she said. "And there is pressure from our voters to not leave them unrepresented."

Ms. Bhutto has said that campaigning and holding polls under the emergency laws, which suspend basic rights, would be difficult.

But President Musharraf insists that not only are the country's emergency laws popular among Pakistanis, they will help ensure fair elections.

In an interview broadcast on state television Wednesday, the president invited outside observers to oversee¹⁰ the polls.

"Emergency is not meant to get a hold of opposition, prevent them from coming," he said. "We are going to allow any observers coming from abroad and seeing the elections - the fairness and transparency."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other Western officials have called on General Musharraf to end emergency rule before the elections. In an interview with the New York Times newspaper published Wednesday, the General said he "totally" disagreed with Rice's request.

1 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。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

4 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

10 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。