Tofail Ahmed (politician)
Bangladeshi politician and revolutionary (1943–2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tofail Ahmed (22 October 1943 – 1 June 2026) was a Bangladeshi independence activist, Bengali nationalist–Mujibist revolutionary and politician. He played a key role in the 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising and then the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In independent Bangladesh, he was a close confident of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and then served as full minister for the ministries of Industries and Commerce under Sheikh Hasina. He was a 8-term Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Bhola-1, Bhola-2 and Bakerganj-1 constituencies during 1973–2024.[4]
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Tofail Ahmed | |
|---|---|
তোফায়েল আহমেদ | |
Ahmed in Dhaka, 2019 | |
| Minister of Commerce | |
| In office 12 January 2014 – 6 January 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina |
| Preceded by | GM Quader |
| Succeeded by | Tipu Munshi |
| Minister of Industries | |
| In office 14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina |
| Preceded by | Shamsul Islam Khan |
| Succeeded by | Rezaul Karim Mannan |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 12 January 2014 – 6 August 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Andaleeve Rahman |
| Succeeded by | Andaleeve Rahman |
| Constituency | Bhola-1 |
| In office 5 March 1991 – February 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Naziur Rahman Manzur |
| Succeeded by | Mosharraf Hossain Shahjahan |
| Constituency | Bhola-1 |
| In office 25 January 2008 – 20 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Hafiz Ibrahim |
| Succeeded by | Ali Azam |
| Constituency | Bhola-2 |
| In office 14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Mosharraf Hossain Shahjahan |
| Succeeded by | Hafiz Ibrahim |
| Constituency | Bhola-2 |
| In office 10 July 1986 – 6 December 1988 | |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman |
| Constituency | Bhola-2 |
| In office 7 April 1973 – 6 Nov 1975 | |
| Succeeded by | AKM Akhtaruzzaman Alamgir |
| Constituency | Bakerganj-1 (now defunct)[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 October 1943 |
| Died | 1 June 2026 (aged 82) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Party |  Bangladesh Awami League (1970 – 2026) |
Other political affiliations | Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (1975)
All-Party Student Action Committee (1967 – 1969)  East Pakistan Students' League (1957 – 1970) |
| Parent(s) | Moulvi Azhar Ali (father) Fatema Khatun (mother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Bangladesh |
| Branch/service | Mujib Bahini |
Years of service | 1970[2]–1972 |
| Rank | Commander (South-western region)[3] |
Early life and education
Tofail was born on 22nd October 1943 in the village of Koralia in Bhola Island, then a part of the Backergunge District of the Bengal Presidency, to Bengali Muslim parents Moulvi Azhar Ali and Fatema Khatun, who lived in poverty.[5][6]
He studied at the Bhola Government High School until 1960 and then at the Brojomohun College until 1962. He graduated from the University of Dacca with a Master of Science in Soil science.[7][8]
Career
Tofail joined the Awami League in support of the 1966 Six point movement of then party leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman[9] and was involved in the 1969 mass uprising in East Pakistan as a student leader.[10] He served as the vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union from 1968-1969.[11] In 1970, Ahmed was a political secretary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was a Bangladeshi independence activist and one of the organisers of Mujib Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[12] He was appointed political secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the rank of a Minister in 1972 after the war.[12]
After the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état and the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tofail was detained by the ruling military administration.[13] His Assistant Personal Secretary, Mintu, was tortured to death in custody.[13]
In 1996, prior to the controversial February elections, Tofail was arrested along with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah under the Special Powers Act.[14] He served as the Minister of Commerce in the Awami League government from July 1996 to January 2001.[15][16] After winning the controversial 2008 general election, the Awami League formed the government but Tofail was dropped from the cabinet despite being an influential member of the Awami League Presidium.[17][18]
Tofail was chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries Ministry.[19] He was also a member of the advisory committee of the Awami League. He was elected several times as a member of the Jatiya Sangsad from constituencies in Bhola.[20] He served as the Minister of Commerce again from January 2014 to January 2019.[21] He has faced numerous allegations of corruption while serving as Minister of Commerce from 2014-2019.[22]
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Tofail's home in Bhola was burned down and vandalised in February 2025.[23] Dhaka Divisional Special Judge Shamima Afroz issued an arrest warrant against him in a 24 year old case in May 2026.[12] His lawyers had requested bail on health grounds but the judge had turned it down.[12]
Personal life and death
Ahmed married Anwara Begum (1950–2025), daughter of Mafizul Haq Taluqdar of Dania, in 1964. They had one daughter, Taslima Ahmed Zaman Munni, who is a doctor. Their son-in-law is Tauhiduzzaman Tuhin, a cardiologist at Square Hospital.[7]
Ahmed died at Square Hospital in Dhaka, at 3:30 PM on 1 June 2026. He was 82.[24][25]
He was buried with full state honors. His funeral was attended by the general public including leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Awami League.[26] However, members of his banned political party, the Awami League, attempted to hold processions and marches using party slogans after his funeral but were stopped and detained by police.[27]
The Bangladesh National Parliament expressed condolences on his death.[28]
Notes
- Under present-day Bhola Sadar Upazila, Bhola District, Barishal Division, Bangladesh
