Veteran Awami League leader and former minister Tofail Ahmed, a prominent figure in the student politics of the 1960s, the 1971 Liberation War, and the 1969 mass uprising, has shown slight improvement in his health condition.
Yusuf Siddique, CEO of Square Hospitals Limited, said on Monday that Tofail Ahmed remains on life support, but his organs are responding to treatment, bd news reports.
“His condition is still very critical. Currently, his heart and lungs are functioning at about 30 percent, and other organs are also working. Doctors are doing their utmost to stabilize him, and they are continuing their efforts,” Siddique said.
Visiting the hospital on Monday afternoon, Tofail Ahmed’s niece Shamima Akter told reporters, “His condition is better now. He has opened his eyes and has even attempted to speak.”
Tofail Ahmed has been undergoing treatment at Square Hospitals for nearly 11 days due to various age-related complications. On Saturday night, some media outlets reported his death, which was later denied by CEO Yusuf Siddique.
Tofail Ahmed’s personal assistant, Abul Khayer, said, “Compared to a few days ago, his condition is improving. Today, there has been noticeable improvement.”
A family member added that Tofail Ahmed has been using a wheelchair for several years, as a stroke had left one side of his body paralyzed. His left hand and leg became immobile, making him unable to walk.
Born on October 22, 1943, in Koralya village of South Dighaldi Union in Bhola district, Tofail Ahmed completed his higher secondary education at Brojomohun College, Barisal, before earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in soil science from Dhaka University.
During the turbulent student movements of 1968–69, he served as vice president of Dhaka University’s central student union (DUCSU) and acted as convener of the All-Party Student Action Committee. In the 1969 mass uprising, he played a key leadership role in mobilizing students, contributing to the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case.
At a major rally on February 23, 1969, at the Racecourse Ground (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was given the title “Bangabandhu,” a designation announced by Tofail Ahmed.
Tofail Ahmed was elected to the National Assembly in 1970 on the Awami League ticket and served as one of four regional commanders of the Mujib Bahini during the 1971 Liberation War.
In independent Bangladesh, he has been elected to the national parliament nine times, most recently representing Bhola-1. He has long held the position of Awami League organizing secretary and later served as a member of the party’s presidium, currently serving on the advisory council.
After independence in 1972, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appointed him as political secretary with the rank of state minister. When the Awami League returned to power in 1996, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appointed him as Minister of Industries and Commerce, a portfolio he again held from 2014 to 2019.
