2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan President Faces Political Uncertainty

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
24 August 2007

Pakistani political experts say the country's president, General Pervez Musharraf, faces a decidedly uncertain future a day after the Supreme¹ Court ended his chief rival's seven-year exile. With elections expected later this year, analysts³ say President Musharraf's once absolute hold on power is now up for grabs. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf, 12 Aug 2007

Political experts say Thursday's ruling is a setback⁴ for the embattled president, General Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can end his seven-year exile, and the opposition⁵ leader says he will return home shortly.

Mr. Sharif heads a center-right political party and also leads a six-party opposition alliance.

Political analyst² and former senator Shafqat Mahmood says Mr. Sharif's return would considerably⁶ weaken the president, just months before the election due later this year.

""Apart from whatever support Sharif commands, the simple fact is Musharraf is very unpopular in the country right now," said Mahmood. "So it will be a combination of support for Sharif and anti-Musharraf feeling which will be combined together to create problems and difficulties for Musharraf."

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, 23 Aug 2007

The president ousted⁷ Mr. Sharif in a 1999 military coup⁸. Mr. Musharraf has served as both president and army chief ever since.

But public support for Mr. Musharraf is at an all time low and the president faces challenges from several quarters.

With Thursday's ruling, Mr. Sharif joins another exiled former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, in vowing⁹ a return to Pakistani politics.

Both demand the right to contest year-end parliamentary elections.

The Supreme Court has also emerged as an obstacle to Mr. Musharraf's military rule.

Political analyst Hasan Askari says that after nearly a decade of unquestioned support, the court has increasingly ruled against the government in recent months.

"It adds uncertainty¹⁰ to Musharraf's political future," said Askari. "For the first time an institution is working independently of the military, which is a major shift. It builds pressure on him and strengthens the opposition."

 

Sacked Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry (file photo)

The president tried unsuccessfully to replace the court's outspoken¹¹ chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry earlier this year.

But the judge refused to back down and helped lead a series of massive pro-democracy marches before being officially reinstated last month.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sharif's legal standing¹² is still far from secure.

The former prime minister was convicted of treason among other crimes in 2000 and was sentenced to life in prison before accepting exile to Saudi Arabia instead.

Several government officials have suggested he could face new legal challenges and possible imprisonment¹³ if he does return.

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 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。