Tofail Ahmed passes away

Tofail Ahmed, one of the organizers of the Liberation War, member of the Awami League Advisory Council and former commerce minister, has passed away.

Salauddin, the personal assistant of Tofail Ahmed's nephew and former MP Ali Azam Mukul, confirmed the news.

He said that the veteran politician breathed his ladt at Square Hospitals in the capital around 9:30 pm on Saturday (October 4).

Earlier, a family member said: “Tofail Ahmed’s health is not good. He has been admitted to hospital. Please pray for him."

Tofail Ahmed has been using a wheelchair for several years. He suffered a stroke that left part of his body paralysed and remains under regular medical supervision.

He was admitted to the capital’s Square Hospitals after his condition deteriorated further.

A nine-time member of parliament, he was last elected from Bhola-1 constituency. He also served for many years as a presidium member of the Bangladesh Awami League.

Earlier this year, in February, a national daily reported that a massive stroke had left part of his body paralysed. The report said he had become unable to recognise his surroundings due to memory loss. His left hand and leg were paralysed, leaving him immobile.

It further noted that he could no longer speak, ate very little, and had become extremely weak. He remained bedridden most of the time and frequently required hospitalisation due to complications. His condition was described as so grave that he was unfit to travel abroad for treatment.

The legendary leader was born on 22 October 1943 to Bengali Muslim parents Moulvi Azhar Ali and Fatema Begum in the village of Koralia in Bhola. He studied at the Bhola Government High School until 1960 and then at the Brojomohun College until 1962. He graduated from the University of Dhaka with a Master of Science in Soil science.

Tofail Ahmed became involved in Chhatra League politics during his college life. He was the elected Vice-President (VP) of Iqbal Hall (now Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall) of Dhaka University during the 1966-67 term. During the mass uprising and student movement in 1968-69, he served as the VP of DUCSU and the convener of the All-Party Chhatra Sangram Parishad.

He was one of the leaders of the 1969 mass uprising. In 1969, he was elected president of the Chhatra League. The following year, he joined the Awami League. In the 1970 elections, at the age of 27, Tofail Ahmed was elected as a member of the Pakistan National Council. He was one of the organizers of the Liberation War. He was one of the four regional heads of the 'Mujib Bahini'. Tofail Ahmed was in charge of the western region of the Mujib Bahini, consisting of Barisal, Patuakhali, Khulna, Faridpur, Jessore, Kushtia and Pabna. During the Liberation War in 1971, he was also one of the organizers of the establishment of the 'Bangladesh Constituent Assembly' in the historic Mujibnagar on April 10. He participated and signed the process of drafting the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh adopted by the Constituent Assembly the following year.

Tofail Ahmed was appointed as the Political Secretary with the rank of State Minister by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on January 14, 1972. He was elected as a member of parliament from his district Bhola in 1973. When the Awami League came to power in 1996 after the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family, Tofail Ahmed became the Minister of Industry and Commerce and the Minister of Commerce in 2013 and 2014.

Tofail Ahmed had served countless jail terms, including 33 consecutive months. As a public representative, he had tried to raise the demands of the people on various social, political and economic issues in the National Parliament.