Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance @ Karachi, Pakistan planned to launch a new Master degree program in Islamic Finance early 2017. This breakthrough news was exclusive announced by IBA Dean & Director, Prof Dr. Farrukh Iqbal during a courtesy call on ICIFE Founding President Prof Dr Khaliq Ahmad 20 December @IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance.

Prof Farrukh said,”In preparation for this maiden launch, IBA agreed to engage ICIFE in providing value added competency training for capacity building of its educators at IBA Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF). Upon returning home I’ll assign Dr. Irum Saba who is also the Chair of ICIFE Pakistan Chapter to work-out the details implementation plan of TOT program with ICIFE Director, Dr. Haji Zul.”

IBA Dean & Director Prof Farrukh accompanied by Associate Dean Prof Dr. Mohammed Nishat visited Kuala Lumpur for 3-day (19-21 December) to participate in a focused seminar on marketing at bottom of the pyramid organized by the Faculty of Business and Accountancy @ University of Malaya. On the sideline of this seminar they traveled to IIUM Gombak for a reciprocal visit to Prof Khalid Ahmad who is also the Dean of IIiBF. Both Prof Farrukh and Prof Nishat met Prof Khalid at IBA in September this year when the latter conducted a 2-day Islamic Marketing Workshop in Karachi at the invitation of IBA-CEIF.

Flanking Prof Khalid to receive the two distinguished scholars from Pakistan were EPP-7 Director Assoc Prof Dr. Syed Musa Al-Habshi, Assoc Prof Dr Dzuljastri A Razak, KENMS Head of Department for Finance and ICIFE Director Dr. Haji Zulkifly Baharom. For Prof Farrukh visiting Malaysia after a lapse of almost 15 years was a nostalgic experience. He frequently visited Malaysia in the 90s meeting with top officers at MoF, EPU and Bank Negara whilst serving as Country Director with the World Bank @Washington DC.