Born in Khyber Agency during the British Raj, Afridi grew up in Landi Kotal, the principal city located around the Khyber Pass, and was an ethnic Pashtun belonging to the Afridi tribe of Zakha Khel. The westernmost regions of British India that Afridi lived in had historically maintained a strong cultural and ethnic connection to Afghanistan rather than India proper, and therefore Afridi's province was not greatly affected by the Partition of India in 1947, in stark contrast to Pakistan's Sindh and Punjab provinces. He started off as a regular truck driver in his youth but quickly used his transportation connections to make a small fortune by smuggling gold and other contraband. Afridi was known to have forged close ties with General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq after the latter deposed Pakistan's civilian government in 1977 and declared martial law, establishing a military dictatorship.[3] Afridi's connections with Afghan tribes in Pakistan's northwest and throughout Afghanistan itself made him a key player in Zia-ul-Haq and the United States's indirect war against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Afridi died on 24 November 2009 after suffering a heart attack, and was in his 70s at the time of his death, though his exact age is not known. He is buried at the Ayub Afridi Kalay cemetery in his hometown of Landi Kotal.

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