[3] Ahmed was born on 22 October 1943 to Bengali Muslim parents Moulvi Azhar Ali and Fatema Begum in the village of Koralia in Bhola Island, then a part of the Backergunge District of the Bengal Presidency in a very poor family.

After the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état and the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ahmed was detained by the military administration.

[10] In 1996, prior to the controversial February elections, Ahmed was arrested along with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah under the Special Powers Act.

[14] After the 2008 general election Awami League formed the government, but Ahmed was dropped from the cabinet despite being one of the influential members of Presidium.

[19] Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Ahmed's home in Bhola was burned down and vandalized in February 2025.