VOA常速英语2007年-Bhutto Assassination Sparks Riots in Pakistan,

By Barry Newhouse
Washington
27 December 2007

The suicide attack that killed opposition¹ leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has sparked riots in several cities and thrown Pakistan's crucial January elections into doubt. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports on the developments from Washington with reporting from Ayaz Gul in Islamabad.

In what would be her final speech before thousands of supporters in the garrison² city Rawalpindi, Benazir Bhutto ended her address with an emotional declaration about the commitment of her Pakistan People's Party.

She said "the honor of Pakistan is our honor and for this honor we all are ready to sacrifice our lives."

A short while later Ms. Bhutto boarded her armored car, thronged³ by supporters. As she waved to the crowds with her torso extending out of the sunroof, witnesses said a man wearing a suicide vest walked up to the car, shot the 54-year-old opposition leader in the neck, and then detonated a blast that killed at least 20 people.

Ms. Bhutto was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead Thursday evening.

President Pervez Musharraf later appeared on national television and declared a three-day period of national mourning.

He blamed her assassination⁴ on what he called extremists and terrorists who have been threatening Pakistan's integrity. The president vowed⁵ to eliminate terrorist forces from Pakistan.

While Ms. Bhutto had frequently expressed concerns about Islamic militants⁶ trying to assassinate⁷ her, she also said old political foes⁸, including some government officials, could try to kill her.

As news of her death spread, Ms. Bhutto's supporters went on a rampage in several cities across Pakistan, burning vehicles, attacking shops and chanting slogans against President Musharraf.

Several casualties were reported in the riots.

While security forces tried to contain the violence and asked people to stay indoors, Ms. Bhutto's supporters began transporting her body to the family grave in Larkana in southern Sindh province.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, one of the country's most popular leaders and an opponent of both President Musharraf and Ms. Bhutto, said his party would boycott⁹ the January polls.

The former prime minister also called on President Musharraf to step down.

Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League Party are the country's two strongest opposition parties and their participation¹⁰ has been considered crucial to ensuring credible¹¹ elections.

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 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

3 thronged   

v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mourners thronged to the funeral. 吊唁者蜂拥着前来参加葬礼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The department store was thronged with people. 百货商店挤满了人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

5 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。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

8 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

9 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。

10 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

11 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？