[2][3] Ullah was born on 10 March 1950 at Begumganj Upazila in Noakhali District of the then East Bengal to Habibullah and Foyzunnisa Begum.
[5] Because of his involvement in student politics, Ayub Khan's military backed government expelled him from Dhaka College.
[5] He worked as a language expert of China matters and Press Officer at the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata.
[11] Mahfuz Ullah had hosted radio and television shows and been involved with leading Bangla and English dailies in Bangladesh.
Some of his notable works include the biographies of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the mass uprising of 1969 and the insurgency in Assam and post-independent Bangladesh.