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Published : 01 Jun 2026, 10:24 PM
The Rise, Reign and Eclipse of a Liberation-Era Leader
Campus rising star: Tofail Ahmed rose through the ranks of student politics in the 1960s, emerging as a prominent organiser and leader
A storm called liberation: He became a central figure in the 1969 Mass Uprising and later played a significant role in the Liberation War, commanding the Mujib Bahini
Seat at the table: In post-independence Bangladesh, he held key constitutional, party and ministerial positions, remaining a longstanding member of Awami League’s central leadership and national decision-making circles for decades
A quiet political orbit: In his later years, his influence within the party began to wane amid shifting internal dynamics and the 2007-08 reformist ideals, leading to a gradual retreat from the party’s core power structure
Few politicians have witnessed as many turning points in Bangladesh’s political history as Tofail Ahmed.
From leading student movements that shook Pakistan’s military rulers to fighting in the Liberation War, serving alongside Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and helping rebuild the Awami League after years of military rule, Tofail remained a constant presence in national politics for more than six decades.
Born in the island district of Bhola, he rose from grassroots activism to become a long-standing member of the Awami League Presidium before serving on its Advisory Council until the final days of his life.
The Awami League elder was elected to parliament nine times, served in the cabinet on two occasions, and spent 18 years in the party’s highest policymaking forum.
However, his influence within the party diminished in the later years of his life. After being identified as a “reformist” during the state of emergency in 2007-08, he gradually found himself sidelined from the organisation he served throughout his life.
After suffering from age-related complications, Tofail died at a private hospital in Dhaka on Monday, aged 83.
Following the Awami League’s ouster after the July Uprising, he spent his final years out of public view, battling illness and old age.
Rooted in Bhola
Tofail was born on Oct 22, 1943, in Koralia village of South Dighaldi Union in Bhola Sadar. He was the son of Azhar Ali and Fatema Khanam.
After passing matriculation from Bhola Government High School in 1960, he enrolled at Barishal’s Government Brojomohun College, completing his ISC in 1962 and BSc in 1964.
That same year, he married Anowara Begum of Bhola town. Their only daughter, Taslima Ahmed Zaman Munni, is a physician.
Political Awakening
Tofail’s political journey began during his college years.
In 1962, he became sports secretary of the Brojomohun College Students’ Union and vice-president of the college’s Ashwini Kumar Hall.
After graduating, he enrolled at Dhaka University, where he completed a Master’s degree in soil science.
He served as sports secretary of the then Iqbal Hall Students’ Union in 1964, vice-president of the soil science department Students’ Union in 1965, and vice-president of the Iqbal Hall Students’ Union during the 1966-67 academic year.
As vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) from 1967 to 1969, he helped form the All-Party Students’ Action Committee, bringing together four student organisations, including two factions of the East Pakistan Student Union and East Pakistan Chhatra League.
Under its leadership, Bangabandhu’s historic Six-Point Programme was incorporated into an 11-Point Charter that became a rallying cry of the 1969 Mass Uprising.
The movement forced military ruler Ayub Khan to release Bangabandhu and other political prisoners on Feb 22, 1969.
A day later, at the Racecourse Maidan, now Suhrawardy Udyan, All-Party Students’ Action Committee President Tofail conferred the title “Bangabandhu” on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The uprising ultimately brought down Ayub Khan and ended Pakistan’s system of “Basic Democracy”.
Recalling those days in a 2016 interview with bdnews24.com, Tofail said: “In 1966, after announcing the Six-Point Programme, he (Bangabandhu) told us: ‘I have built a bridge. One day, crossing this bridge, we will reach independence’.
“The Six Points truly became our charter of liberation. Ayub Khan understood what the Six Points meant, which is why he made Bangabandhu a suspect in the Agartala Conspiracy Case and sought to send him to the gallows.”
A Leader Among Activists
Mujahidul Islam Selim, former president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, fought alongside Tofail during their turbulent years of student politics.
“Tofail Ahmed belonged to the Chhatra League, while I was a leader of the left-wing Student Union. We had different ideologies and political philosophies. But at that time, the Student Union and Chhatra League were jointly engaged in the struggle against Ayub Khan.
“That is how we became acquainted. He came from a district town and enrolled at Dhaka University, living at what was then Iqbal Hall. I probably came to know him during the 1968 DUCSU election when he was elected vice-president. From then on, we were activists playing in the forward line.”
Selim said their relationship deepened during the 1969 movement.
“After the central Students’ Action Committee was formed, it was decided that since DUCSU was an elected body, Tofail Ahmed, as its vice-president, would serve as our spokesperson.
“Therefore, even though statements were jointly decided upon, they were delivered through him. In this way, he emerged as a popular figure among the public and became recognised as the leading student leader of the time.”
In 1969, Tofail was elected president of the Bangladesh Chhatra League. During his years as hall and DUCSU vice-president, he came into close contact with Bangabandhu.
On Jun 2, 1970, acting on Bangabandhu’s instruction, he formally entered Awami League politics.
That same year, at just 27, he was elected to Pakistan’s National Assembly from the Bhola constituency comprising Daulatkhan, Tajumuddin and Monpura.
Liberation War and Beyond
During the Liberation War, Tofail became one of the four regional commanders of the Mujib Bahini. He was responsible for the western zone comprising Barishal, Patuakhali, Khulna, Faridpur, Jashore, Kushtia and Pabna.
Selim recalled, “During the Liberation War, [Tofail], Sheikh Moni, [Abdur Razzaq] and Sirajul Alam Khan formed an underground secret committee. It was known as the Nucleus, and the four were also called the Four Caliphs.
“He played an extraordinarily important role in the war.
“He was one of the commanders of the BLF, or Bangladesh Liberation Force, better known as the Mujib Bahini. The training he received was leadership training conducted in the Soviet style.
“After independence, Bangabandhu appointed him as his political secretary. He became involved in extensive political activities during that period. Later, during the military rule of [Ziaur Rahman] and the anti-Ershad movement, we fought together in many struggles, which brought us very close.”
Tofail was among the organisers of the Mujibnagar government and took an active role in framing Bangladesh’s Constitution after independence.
Bangabandhu appointed him political secretary to the prime minister on Jan 14, 1972, with the rank of state minister. He remained in the post until Jan 25, 1975.
Elected to parliament from Bhola in 1973, he later became special assistant to the president when Bangladesh adopted a presidential system in 1975. He also served as general secretary of Jatiya Jubo League, the youth wing of BAKSAL.
Following Bangabandhu’s assassination on Aug 15, 1975, Tofail was placed under house arrest, subjected to severe torture and later imprisoned for 33 months.
Despite incarceration, he was elected Awami League organising secretary in 1978 and played a key role in rebuilding the party and mobilising resistance to military rule.
He later served as industries and commerce minister after the Awami League returned to power in 1996 and as commerce minister from 2014 to 2019.
Nine-time Lawmaker
Tofail contested 12 elections under the Awami League’s boat symbol and won nine of them -- in 1970, 1973, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2024.
He was elected to the Awami League Presidium in 1992 and served there for 18 years before joining the party’s Advisory Council in 2010, a position he held until his death.
Throughout his political career, he remained vocal in demanding the repeal of the Indemnity Ordinance, justice for Bangabandhu’s assassination and the trial of those accused of war crimes against humanity.
Remembering the man behind the politician, Selim said: “He possessed an extraordinary memory and could recite hundreds, even thousands, of telephone numbers from memory. I also had a very good family relationship with him. He had a particular fondness for fashion, especially shirts and trousers. And ties -- he really liked good ties. These are things I know from a personal and family perspective.”
An Eclipsed Elder
Despite his prominence, Tofail gradually lost influence within the party and became increasingly isolated following disagreements with the top leadership.
Although he had played a key role in bringing Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh in 1981, helping establish her leadership of the party, some within Awami League believed he had not taken a sufficiently strong stance after Bangabandhu’s assassination.
Many observers believe that this perception contributed to a degree of distance between Hasina and Tofail.
Frustration grew after he was snubbed from the party’s general secretary position despite serving as organisational secretary during the 1980s.
During the military-controlled caretaker government of 2007-08, he was identified as part of the party’s reformist faction alongside Abdur Razzaq, Amir Hossain Amu and Suranjit Sengupta.
After the Awami League returned to power in 2008, many leaders within the reformist camp found themselves sidelined. Despite being a Presidium member, Tofail was not included in the cabinet.
He returned to government in 2014 when Hasina appointed him commerce minister, but never regained the influence he once held within the party.
In his later years, advancing age and illness took a heavy toll. A stroke left part of his body paralysed, and he spent much of his final years confined to a wheelchair.
According to Selim, although Tofail experienced discontent at different stages of his political life, he never abandoned his political convictions.
“Until the very end, he remained committed to the ideals of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu,” Selim said.
[Writing in English by Zakia Rubaba Hoque]
