His work is recognised to have helped thousands of British Asian lascars to migrate, settle and find employment in Britain.
[citation needed] Ali was born into a Bengali Muslim family from the Kathalkhair village of the Sylhet District in the British Raj's North-East Frontier on 20 January 1907.
At the age of 18, Ali left Sylhet Government School in class 10 moving to Calcutta where he worked alongside Bipin Chandra Pal.
[5] He returned to Bengal in 1925, having been exposed to trade unionism and politics in the US, and with first hand experience of the poor working conditions of Indian seamen.
[2] In 1925, Ali joined the Indian Seamen's Union in Calcutta and eventually rose to become the organisation's general secretary.
[3][9] As World War II approached Britain, Ali, Alley and Tahsil Miya played crucial roles in breaking the deadlock between British ship-owners and Asian lascars.
They lobbied the Home Secretary, Samuel Hoare, and called on the Trades Union Congress in Glasgow for support.
[citation needed] Following the Partition of India in 1947, Ali moved to East Bengal in Pakistan and became an independent Member of Parliament.
[citation needed] Ali also played an instrumental role by opening a passport office in his house in Sylhet.