Akhtar played for Lahore club Rangers FC throughout his career.[4] He represented Punjab University football team from 1948 to 1951.[4] In 1950, he played for Rangers FC at the Rovers Cup in 1951 in Bombay.[4] He won the Lahore District Soccer Championship with the club in June 1951.[5] He also represented Punjab in the National Football Championship from 1950 to 1953, captaining the team in the last year.[4] He also played for Pakistan Railways at the National Football Championship.[6][7][8][9]
He also represented Pakistan at the 1954 Asian Games in the Philippines. In a preparation match, he scored against a Singapore combined Colony XI in a 4–1 victory on 24 April 1954.[13] He scored a brace in a 6–2 win against Singapore in a group match, where Masood Fakhri had notably scored a hat-trick, and Moideen Kutty also scored a goal.[14][15]