Former Awami League Minister Tofail Ahmed Passes Away

Veteran politician, former minister, and one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Awami League, Tofail Ahmed, has passed away. He breathed his last at 3:30 PM today while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in the capital. He was 82 years old at the time of his death. The hospital authorities and his family members have officially confirmed the news to the media.

The veteran politician had been suffering from prolonged paralysis along with various age-related physical complications for a long time. He was admitted to Square Hospital on September 28 last year in critical condition and had been kept on life support in the intensive care unit ever since. Notably, rumors of his passing had circulated on social media on the day of his admission, which were later dismissed and clarified by his medical team.

Tofail Ahmed enjoyed a colorful and historic political career, serving as a Member of Parliament nine times, most recently representing the Bhola-1 constituency. For a long period, he also served as a member of the Awami League's central Presidium. Born on October October 22, 1943, in Koralia village under South Dighaldi Union of Bhola Sadar Upazila, his father was Moulvi Azhar Ali and his mother was Fatema Begum. He leaves behind his wife, Anwara Begum, and his only daughter, Dr. Taslima Ahmed Zaman Munni.

His academic journey began at Bhola Government High School, where he completed his matriculation in 1960, followed by intermediate studies at Barisal Brojomohun College in 1962. He earned his BSc in 1964 and subsequently completed his MSc in Soil Science from the University of Dhaka.

Tofail Ahmed's political journey started with the student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League. While studying at Dhaka University, he was elected the Vice President (VP) of Iqbal Hall (now Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall) for the 1966-67 term. During the mass upsurge and student movement of 1968-69, he served as the VP of DUCSU and the convener of the All-Party Student Action Committee. Following the historic 1969 mass uprising, which forced the Pakistani government to release Sheikh Mujipur Rahman and all other accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, a massive public reception was organized on February 23, 1969, at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan). It was at this historic grand rally of millions that student leader Tofail Ahmed officially bestowed the title "Bangabandhu" upon Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He contested a national election for the first time in 1970 under the Awami League banner and won a seat in the National Assembly. During the 1971 Liberation War, he was one of the four regional commanders of the Mujib Bahini. Following independence, on January 14, 1972, he was appointed the political secretary to Bangladesh's first Prime Minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with the rank of a state minister.

Later, as an Awami League candidate from his home district of Bhola, he successfully secured parliamentary victories in 1973, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2024. In his ministerial career, he was appointed Minister for Industries and Commerce under the Sheikh Hasina administration on June 23, 1996. He later went on to serve as the Commerce Minister for two consecutive terms from 2013 to 2018. Over his extensive political life, he endured imprisonment numerous times, including a continuous 33-month detention following the political turnaround of 1975.