E. Ahamed


E. Ahamed, Edappakath Ahamed in full, was an Indian politician from Kannur in northern Kerala. A Member of Parliament between 1991 and 2017, he was key figure in India's diplomatic relations with the Middle East.
Educated at Brennen College, Tellicherry and Trivandrum Law College, Ahamed was first elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1967. He later served as a cabinet minister in the U D F ministry headed by Congress-leader K. Karunakaran. He was first elected to the Parliament in 1991. Ahamed was appointed Union Minister of State, Minister of [External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs], in 2004. He also served as Union Minister of State for Railways and Human Resource Development.
Ahamed served as the National President, Indian Union Muslim League between 2008 and 2017. He was the first Indian Union Muslim League union minister in independent India. In 2004, he was famously dispatched by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the United Nations to represent India.

Early life

E. Ahamed was born on 29 April 1938 in a merchant family in Kannur, Malabar District, to Edappakath Nafeesa Beevi and Ovintakath Abdul Khader. He carried his mother's 'house name' as his initials as the tradition among the Cannanore Mappilas.
He graduated from Brennen College, Thalassery|Government Brennen College], Tellicherry and later obtained a law degree from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. He was the first General Secretary of the MSF, the students' wing of Indian Union Muslim League. He also worked as a reporter for the Chandrika newspaper. Ahamed married Zuhara in 1961 who died in an accident in 1999. The couple has three children.

Political career

In Kerala

MandateLegislative AssemblyConstituencyParty
19673rd AssemblyCannanoreIndian Union Muslim League
19775th AssemblyKoduvallyIndian Union Muslim League
19806th AssemblyTanurIndian Union Muslim League
19827th AssemblyTanurIndian Union Muslim League
19878th AssemblyTanurIndian Union Muslim League

President
Member

Death

Ahamed died on 1 February 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest in a joint session of Parliament. He was buried with full state honours at the Kannur City Juma Masjid.