Tofail Ahmed (politician)

Tofail Ahmed
তোফায়েল আহমেদ
Ahmed at the US Embassy in Dhaka (2018)
Minister of Commerce
In office 12 January 2014 – 6 January 2019
Prime Minister	Sheikh Hasina
Preceded by	GM Quader
Succeeded by	Tipu Munshi
Minister of Industries
In office 14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001
Prime Minister	Sheikh Hasina
Preceded by	Shamsul Islam Khan
Succeeded by	M. K. Anwar
Member of parliament
In office 12 January 2014 – 6 August 2024
Preceded by	Andaleeve Rahman
In office 5 March 1991 – February 1996
Preceded by	Naziur Rahman Manzur
Succeeded by	Mosharraf Hossain Shahjahan
Constituency	Bhola-1
In office 25 January 2008 – 20 November 2014
Succeeded by	Ali Azam
In office 14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001
Preceded by	Mosharraf Hossain Shahjahan
Succeeded by	Hafiz Ibrahim
In office 10 July 1986 – 6 December 1988
Succeeded by	Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman
Constituency	Bhola-2
In office 7 April 1973 – 6 Nov 1975
Succeeded by	AKM Akhtaruzzaman Alamgir
Constituency	Bakerganj-1 (now defunct)[1]
Personal details
Born	(1943-10-22) 22 October 1943 (age 80) Bhola, Bengal Presidency, British India
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Political party	Bangladesh Awami League

Tofail Ahmed (born 22 October 1943)^[2] is a Bangladeshi politician. He is a 7-term Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Bhola-1, Bhola-2 and Bakerganj-1 constituencies during 1973–2024. Previously he served as the Minister of Commerce and Minister of Industries of the Government of Bangladesh.^[3] He was claimed as a corrupt person, In 1973, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman institutionalized cronyism in Bangladesh's civil service. His political secretary, Tofael Ahmed, appointed under-qualified individuals—often relatives and friends of Awami League leaders—to key positions. This group, dubbed the "Tofael Service," largely bypassed standard exams and was predominantly from Mujib's and Tofael's home districts. As a result, the civil service remained filled with under-qualified personnel for over thirty years ^[4]