VOA常速英语2007年-Rioting Prompts Musharraf to Order Security For

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
29 December 2007

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has ordered security forces to take firm action against rioters following the assassination¹ of opposition² leader Benazir Bhutto. The violence has left at least 44 people dead and dozens injured. VOA's Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad that a bitter dispute has also erupted over how the 54-year-old politician died and who was behind her assassination.

Thursday's assassination of Ms. Bhutto has plunged³ the Pakistani nation into crisis, with bloody⁴ protests across the country. Officials say the violence has also caused tens-of-millions of dollars in damages. Most of the deaths have occurred in southern Sindh province, Ms. Bhutto's political stronghold.

The worsening security situation prompted President Musharraf on Saturday to order his security chiefs to deal firmly with violent protesters.

Ms. Bhutto was killed when an unknown attacker fired shots at her and then blew himself up as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Pakistani officials say that Ms. Bhutto's death occurred when the force of the suicide blast crashed her head against a lever on the sunroof of her vehicle. An official investigation⁵ is under way, but leaders of Ms. Bhutto's party have rejected the official account of her death as "ridiculous."

Ms. Bhutto's senior advisor⁶, Sherry Rehman, says she helped wash the slain⁷ politician's body for burial. She alleges⁸ the government is trying to cover-up its failure to protect Ms. Bhutto, who was campaigning for January 8 elections.

"It is very clear, it is running on all the Pakistan TV channels, the footage of an assassin who took clear aim at her with his gun and fired the shot that went through the back of her head and came out the other," she said. "I have seen the bullet wound myself. I was part of the bathing ritual party and she bled to death from that wound."

Interior Ministry⁹ spokesman Javed Cheema told reporters in Islamabad Saturday that the government's version is based on a medical report and other evidence collected from the scene of the attack.

"Now, if there is any doubt, if they say that she died of the bullet wounds, we don't mind," he said. "If the Peoples Party's leadership wants, her body can be exhumed¹⁰ and post-mortemed. They are most welcome, but we gave you what the facts are."

Pakistani authorities have accused a pro-al-Qaida fugitive¹¹ tribal¹² leader, Baitullah Mehsud, of ordering Ms. Bhutto's assassination.

But a spokesman for Mehsud has denied the militant¹³ leader had anything to do with the assassination. Government spokesman Cheema says investigators¹⁴ have collected irrefutable evidence of Mehsud's involvement in the suicide attack on Ms. Bhutto.

"No criminal would ever accept responsibility of a crime that one has committed. It does not suit him," he said. "And I don't think anybody else has the capability¹⁵ to recruit and carry out such kind of attacks except for those [al-Qaida] people."

Pakistan plans to hold parliamentary elections next month. But election officials say that violent unrest across the country sparked by Ms. Bhutto's assassination has undermined preparations for the polls.

Another top Pakistani opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, says his party will boycott¹⁶ the elections, adding to the uncertainty¹⁷ surrounding the January 8 date.

Ms. Bhutto returned home from eight years of self-imposed exile in October, hoping to become prime minister for a third time. She narrowly escaped a suicide attack on her homecoming rally in Karachi, hours after she landed in Pakistan.

1 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。

2 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。

3 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

4 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

8 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 exhumed   

v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His remains have been exhumed from a cemetery in Queens, New York City. 他的遗体被从纽约市皇后区的墓地里挖了出来。 来自辞典例句

11 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

12 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。

13 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

14 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

16 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。

17 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。