In a first, Pakistani footballer secures master’s degree from Real Madrid School

In this handout photograph, taken and released by Real Madrid Graduate School on July 2, 2024, Pakistan’s Imaad Khan gestures during the graduation ceremony at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Khan, 28, becomes the first Pakistani to secure a master’s degree in football coaching and management from the prestigious Real Madrid Graduate School. (Photo courtesy: Supplied/Imaad Khan)
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Updated 25 July 2024
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In a first, Pakistani footballer secures master’s degree from Real Madrid School

  • Imaad Khan postgraduates in football coaching and management from the prestigious institution in Spain
  • Khan has been a skilled soccer player and runs his own a sports club and football academy in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Imaad Khan made history this month when he became the first person from his country to secure a master’s degree in football coaching and management from the prestigious Real Madrid Graduate School.
Khan, a skilled football player himself since the age of ten, was on the national team in 2016 during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka. He also runs a sports club and football academy in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
In 2022, he became the first Pakistani to enroll for a master’s degree in football coaching and management from the Real Madrid Graduate School.
“This is how graduation at Real Madrid looks like,” Khan wrote as caption on Instagram with a video of his graduation ceremony posted on Wednesday.
In the video, Khan can be seen attending his graduation ceremony at a football stadium in Spain as his name is called out.
Khan was accepted to the Real Madrid Graduate School in 2016 but could not enroll as he needed financial aid. He was later sponsored by the Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation which helped him enroll in 2022.
“BARD Foundation proudly celebrates Imaad Khan’s historic achievement as the first Pakistani to earn a Master’s in Football Coaching and Management with distinction from the Real Madrid Graduate School,” BARD Foundation wrote on social media.

Real Madrid is one of the most popular and renowned football clubs in the world. Home to one of the most legendary and iconic football players, the club enjoys massive popularity in Pakistan, where cricket is considered the most popular sport.
Speaking to Arab News in 2022, Khan said he wanted to work with Pakistan’s young football talent.
“While I play for Pakistan football, I would like to work for under-18 and under-16,” he had said.


Pakistan’s annual inflation rises to 7% in February, statistics bureau says

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Pakistan’s annual inflation rises to 7% in February, statistics bureau says

  • Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility
  • IMF has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations, rebuild buffers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s annual inflation rate rose to 7 percent year-on-year in February, ​the statistics bureau said on Monday, with fears of commodity prices volatility after US and Israel strikes in Iran.

The consumer price index of annual inflation jumped from 5.8 percent the previous month, the ‌bureau said.

On ‌a month-on-month ​basis, ‌inflation ⁠increased by ​0.3 percent ⁠in February, down from a 0.4 percent rise the previous month.

Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility.

The central bank, ⁠which held its policy ‌rate at ‌10.50 percent in January, has said ​inflation could exceed ‌its 5 percent to 7 percent medium-term target ‌range for a few months this year, even as growth gains momentum and imports push the trade deficit ‌wider.

The International Monetary Fund, which has cautioned against premature monetary ⁠easing ⁠under Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program, has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations and rebuild external buffers.

An IMF mission has started discussions with Pakistani authorities on the third review of the country’s Extended Fund Facility and the second review of its ​Resilience and Sustainability ​Facility.