[1] Ismail's brother, K. T. M. Ahmed Ibrahim, was also a principal leader of the All-India Muslim League in Madras Presidency.

[5] Ismail served as Vice President, Muslim Educational Association of Southern India and Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam.

[1][6][7][8] When the report of the Advisory Committee on Minorities was debated (1949), Ismail moved a motion for the retention of reserved seats for Muslims and a separate communal electorate.

[9] In the 1950s, Ismail started negotiating with the stubborn High Command in New Delhi (through the Madras leadership) for an electoral alliance with the Congress.

[5] The party thereupon suffered a rout in the 1957 General Elections and witnessed a major split in 1961 (instigated by Mohammed Raza Khan, M. S. A. Majeed and K. T.

[5] In 1952, Ismail was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madras with support of the independent candidates endorsed by the League.

[1] During the 1962 India-China War, Ismail famously offered to send his son Mian Khan to join the Indian Army to fight against China.

[12] Indian National Congress politician M. Bhaktavatsalam, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, paying his tribute, described Ismail as a "a model for all Opposition leaders".