He left behind a daughter and son. M. Aftab served twice as Director-General of the national wire service. He was a widely travelled person and had extensively covered top Pakistani leaders President Ayub Khan, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. He also served as a correspondent for the Associated Press of America and worked for several internationally reputed newspapers and magazines like The Financial Times, Times of London, the Gulf News. He was amongst the pioneers of financial journalism in Pakistan and was known not just for his professional talent but also for his administrative and management skills. M. Aftab was also a great trade unionist and one of the pioneers of the Rawalpindi Press Club. He played an active role in several trade bodies for journalists including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).

He had also been on forefront for humanitarian work, devoting his services with various welfare associations.