Tofail Ahmed (politician)


Tofail Ahmed is a Bangladeshi politician serving as the Jatiya Sangsad member from Bhola-1, a constituency he has held since 2014 and also during 1991–2001. Previously he served as the Minister of Commerce and Minister of Industries of the Government of Bangladesh.

Early life and career

Ahmed was born in 22 October 1943 in Bhola.
Ahmed joined the Awami League and in support of the 1966 Six point movement of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. was involved in the 1969 mass uprising in East Pakistan as a student leader. He was the vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union. In 1970, Ahmed was a political secretary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was a Bangladesh independence activist one of the organizers of Mujib Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In 1996, prior to the controversial February elections, he was arrested along with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah under the Special Powers Act. He served as the Minister of Commerce in the Awami League government from July 1996 to January 2001.
In 2007, while the country went under emergency rule Ahmed was one of the leaders who proposed a reform proposal of Bangladesh Awami League which proposed by the military backed caretaker government and the removal of party chief Sheikh Hasina. After the 2008 general election Awami League formed the government, but Ahmed was dropped from the cabinet despite being the one of the influential member of Presidium.
Ahmed was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries Ministry. He is also the member of the advisory committee of Bangladesh Awami League. Earlier he was one of the influential members of the presidium of Awami League. He was elected several times as a member of Jatiya Sangsad from Bhola constituency. He was the Minister of Commerce.