Gaffar Ahmed is a Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

 Labour Party

Fiji Labour Party

The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...

 (FLP) Fijian politician of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n descent. Ahmed, a former police officer, represented the Ba West

Ba West (Indian Communal Constituency, Fiji)

Ba West Indian Communal is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 19 communal constituencies reserved for Indo-Fijians. . The electorate covers the western part of Ba Province.- 1999 :- 2001 :- 2006 :- Sources :* *...

 Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for Indo-Fijians, from 1995 to 2006.

Ahmed was Assistant Minister for Home Affairs in the Peoples Coalition Government from 1999 to 2000.

On 19 May 2000, He was among the 43 members of the People's Coalition Government

People's Coalition (Fiji)

The People's Coalition was an alliance of three political parties in Fiji, formed in March 1999 to contest the parliamentary election to be held in May that year...

, led by Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...

, taken hostage by George Speight

George Speight

George Speight , occasionally known as Ilikimi Naitini, was the principal instigator of the Fiji coup of 2000, in which he kidnapped thirty-six government officials and held them from May 19, 2000 to July 13, 2000...

 and his band of rebel Republic of Fiji Military Forces

Military of Fiji

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...

 (RFMF) soldiers from the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit

Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit (Fiji)

The Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit or CRWU was the common name for the First Meridian Squadron, the unit's formal name, which had been disbanded in 2000...

. He was released on 21 May 2000, after he signed a paper resigning his seat in Parliament.

In 2003, Ahmed was offered the portfolio of Minister for Prisons, together with 13 other FLP parliamentarians who were offered cabinet positions by the Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...

 but the FLP refused to accept this offer.

Earlier, he had expressed his intention to contest the Magodro

Magodro (Open Constituency, Fiji)

Magodro Open is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 25 open constituencies elected by universal suffrage . Like the other open electorates, it came into being in 1999 and was used for the parliamentary elections of 1999, 2001, and 2006...

 Open Constituency

Open constituencies (Fiji)

Open constituencies represent one of several electoral models employed in the past and present in the Fijian electoral system. They derive their name from the fact that they are "open": unlike the communal constituencies, the 25 members of the House of Representatives who represent open...

 in the House of Representatives, but announced his withdrawal on 11 April 2006, citing financial difficulties but was appointed to the Senate

Senate (Fiji)

The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...

 as one of eight nominees of the Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)

The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...

.

Ahmed is a life member of Fiji Football Referees Association and held a FIFA referees badge from 1991 to 1995.