He joined Government Brennen College, Thalassery and completed his pre-degree and a bachelor's degree in science.

[7] In the 2001 Kerala assembly elections, Punathil unsuccessfully contested for Bharatiya Janata Party from Beypore constituency.

He was pitted against industrialist-turned-politician V. K. C. Mammed Koya of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and veteran politician M C Mayin Haji of the Indian Union Muslim League.

"[9] Suffering from various ailments during his final years, he died at Baby Memorial Hospital in Calicut on 27 October 2017, aged 77.

[12] He sent his first short story Bhagyakuri (1958) to Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly while he was still at school, hoping to get published in the children's section.

[15] Through the novel Marunnu (Medicine), which narrates the story on the life of MBBS students and of a medical college, Kunjabdulla introduced to Malayalam literature the world of hospitals and doctors.

[16] Paralokam also picked up on themes of death, another novel richly informed by his own life experiences as a doctor.

31 at VM Hal of AMU, he would write short stories on Aligarh and publish them in Malayalam journals.

His experiences in the Uttar Pradesh city helped him write some of his most widely read short stories.

Cycle Savairi (Cycle Riding), Jeevachavangal (Living Cadavers) MoulanaInam Khureshi, Kathi (Knife), Velichaththinte Maranam (Death of Light) and Smasanathilekku Nayikkunna Njan (Leading by me Towards the Graveyard) are some of the most known short stories on his Aligarh days.

The women characters in Kure Sthreekal, Pranaya Kathakal and Ente Kamukimarum Mattu Kathakalum represented life as it is and the underlying tone was lust.