Unacceptable presidential pardon

The news of Tofayel Ahmed Joseph, a convicted murderer and top gangster, receiving a presidential pardon is as sickening as it is disappointing. Yes the president can exercise his exclusive authority without providing an explanation, but this particular case cannot go unchallenged.

This follows previous precedents of pardoning Biplab, a notorious gangster in Lakshmipur and convicted killers of Gama, and Sanaullah Nur in Natore. They were involved in murders that shocked the nation, yet the president pardoned them!

It's unfathomable why the president felt that Joseph deserved clemency. If anything, he was serving his jail time in hospitals while he seemed totally healthy. We hear Joseph has an influential relative. Did that have anything to do with his comfortable time in jail and eventual release? The nation deserves answers.

Nasir Uddin Bairagi, Bhola