2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistani Supreme Court Reinstates Suspended Ch

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
20 July 2007

Pakistan's Supreme¹ court has reinstated its chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, four months after Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf suspended him. His controversial dismissal on March 9, and his subsequent refusal to back down, galvanized public opposition² to the president. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports the court's decision is a major setback³ for the already embattled Pakistani leader.

Pakistan's chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry, center, is surrounded by supporters after his reinstatement at his residence in Islamabad, 20 Jul 2007

In a 10 - 3 vote the court Friday dismissed the government case against the chief justice.

Iftakhar Chaudhry's lawyer Munir Malik called the verdict "an historic" decision.

He says Friday we saw the birth of a new Supreme Court, one fully⁴ committed to judicial⁵ independence.

Hundreds of lawyers and anti-government activists⁶ rallied outside the Supreme Court and cheered the decision as soon as it was announced.

In a written statement, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would accept the verdict "with grace and dignity."

President Musharraf suspended Chaudhry in March after accusing him of abusing his authority.

Pakistani lawyers celebrate victory after the Supreme Court reinstated suspended Chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, in Lahore, 20 Jul 2007

The judge's supporters claimed the suspension was a blatantly⁷ unconstitutional attack on the court's integrity.

The controversial move sparked massive, nationwide protests against the government.

Chaudhry's courtroom victory is widely seen as a stunning⁸ rebuke⁹ to President Musharraf's authority.

The ruling comes as the Pakistani leader is already reeling from a wave of suicide attacks in recent days.

More than 150 people have been killed as militants¹⁰ respond to last week's government raid of Islamabad's pro-Taleban Red Mosque¹¹.

Political experts here in Pakistan say the president faces his greatest political challenge since seizing power through a military coup¹² in 1999.

Analyst¹³ Farzana Bari says, ironically, Friday's ruling could be good news for the embattled president.

"Under the circumstances I don't think it will be a setback," said Bari. "He is in deep trouble right now and this may give him a little bit of relief."

She says that win or lose at least one of the president's major battles is now behind him and he can try to move on to the next fight.

Pervez Musharraf (file photo)

Mr. Musharraf is pursuing a second five-year term in office later this year.

Nationwide elections are expected before January 1, but the president is seeking reappointment from the country's existing national assembly.

Opposition lawmakers say the president's plan would not only be undemocratic, but also unconstitutional and are vowing¹⁴ a legal challenge.

Government critics say the looming¹⁵ standoff may be the real reason behind Mr. Musharraf's efforts to dismiss the notoriously independent chief justice. Chaudry had also issued a series of rulings against the government including a demand for greater information about suspected Islamists who the government is believed to be holding.

True or false, the president is now facing a decidedly uncompromising Supreme Court, and a potentially uphill battle for re-election.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

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 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 blatantly   

ad.公开地

参考例句：

• Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. 安全规章被公然置之不顾。
• They walked grandly through the lobby, blatantly arm in arm, pretending they were not defeated. 他们大大方方地穿过门厅，故意炫耀地挎着胳膊，假装他们没有被打败。

8 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

9 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

10 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。

11 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

12 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

13 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。

14 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

15 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望