Tofael Ahmed

Tofael Ahmed is a Bangladeshi politician. He served as a Member of Parliament and as a Minister of Commerce and Minister of Industries of the Government of Bangladesh.^[1]

Early life and career

Ahmed was born in a Bengali Muslim family of Bhola. He first served as the Minister of Industries of Sheikh Hasina's cabinet during 1996-2001. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries Ministry.^[2] 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 Jatioy Sangsad from Bhola constituency.

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.^[3]

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 was perceived as a step against the party chief Sheikh Hasina. After the 2008 general election Awami League formed the government, but Ahmed was dropped from the cabinet being the one of the influential member of Presidium.^[4]

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