Ahmed was a son of a professional soldier of probable Albanian origin.
In 1646, two years after Mustafa Pasha's execution, he was appointed as the defterdar, and in 1647, he was promoted to the rank of grand vizier, the highest post in Ottoman bureaucracy.
Because of this, Ahmed Pasha was required to concentrate more of his time on the sable trade rather than on state affairs.
During his term, the Venetian navy blocked the strait of Çanakkale (Dardanelles), and Venice also seized control of the important fort of Klis (in modern Croatia); see Cretan War (1645-1669).
Moreover, large scale sable skin purchases caused an extra deficit in a budget that was already under the pressure of the war.