Ali is a veteran of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.[4]
Ali joined the foreign affairs cadre of the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1981.[5] He has served in Bangladesh embassies in Morocco, France, and the United States.[5] He was the Permanent Delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO in France.[6] He was the second secretary at the Embassy of Bangladesh in France.[7] He was the Minister (political) at the Bangladesh Embassy in the United States.[8] He was then the Counselor (Head of Chancery) at the Embassy.[9] He was an advisor to the World Bank.[10]
Ali was the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka.[5] In April 2006, he was appointed the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Kenya.[5]
Ali was appointed High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Canada in March 2008, replacing Rafiq Ahmed Khan.[11] In May 2011, he received Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Canada.[12] He told the Prothom Alo that it would not be possible to extradite SHBM Nur Chowdhury from Canada, according to a letter sent by Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, to Dipu Moni, Bangladesh's Minister of Foreign Affairs.[13] In September 2012, Kamrul Ahsan replaced him as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Canada.[11]
Ali is a member of the Association of Former Ambassadors.[14]