Pakistan’s football community is grieving as one of its most promising and talented players, Munir Aftab, passed away on Tuesday afternoon in Karachi due to kidney failure.
Munir Aftab, fondly known as ‘Muna’, was a gold medalist footballer who led Pakistan’s national football team at a very young age in international competitions.
Munir was admitted to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) a few days before Eid al-Fitr, where he remained on ventilator until his last breath.
The funeral prayer for the 26-year-old footballer was held at Baghdari Masjid, Saifi Line, while the burial took place at Mayo Shah Cemetery yesterday.
Munir was an exceptional talent who made a name for himself as a footballer from Lyari. He led the national team at the Under-13 Football Festival in Iran in 2009 at the age of 12.
Munir then went on to lead the national team in the U-14, U-15, and U-16 World Cups, winning a gold medal for Pakistan in the SAFF Football Championship against India.
It is pertinent to mention here that National Bank employed Munir Aftab as a scholarship player along with other promising sportsmen of that time.