John Permal, Pakistan's fastest man from 1965 to 1974, has passed away in Karachi, his son announced via Twitter on Wednesday evening.

According to his son Anthony Permal, who goes by the Twitter handle 'Tony Khan', Permal had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2018.

Permal's son tweeted the following message to his followers:

"John Permal, the fastest man in Pakistan, has passed into eternity with the Lord. His last race has been won. May his soul rest in peace. I love you, Dad. Thank you for you."

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Permal's son shared some memories of his father:

From 1965 to 1974, the sprint champion was the undisputed fastest human in Pakistan. He first became Pakistan’s fastest man at the 1965 National Games in Lahore, where he finished second. Gert Metz, a German athlete, won the race.

He retained the 100m fastest-man-in-Pakistan title in Rawalpindi in 1967, Dhaka in 1968, Karachi in 1970, Nawabshah in 1971, and again in Lahore for the last time in 1973. His best time came in 1969 at a Bonn athletics meet where he clocked in at 10.4 seconds for the 100 metres event.

Permal had represented Pakistan at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Asian Games in 1966 and 1970.