KARACHI: Former left-in footballer Murad Bakhsh alias ‘Pencil’ died after a prolonged illness here on Tuesday morning. He was 59.

The lanky winger besides being a part of the national youth squad back in the late 1960s also represented the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan Public Works Department (PPWD), Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) football teams while also playing for the clubs in Dhaka during the time.

In 1978, he left for the UAE and represented the Sharjah Army football team for 13 years there. Suffering from cancer for the past several years, he was living in destitute conditions in Karachi’s Lyari area, prompting his only son to give up the idea of ever playing football in favour of becoming a motor mechanic. He leaves behind the son and a daughter.