Born in Allahabad, British India, Husain moved to Karachi in 1947 and joined the civil service in 1964.[citation needed] He received his M.A in development economics in 1972 from the Williams College and his PhD from the Boston University in 1978.[citation needed] He joined the World Bank in 1979, working initially as the country economist for Liberia. In 1994, Husain became the chief economist for Asia-Pacific region and between 1997 and 1999 headed World Bank's operations in Central Asia. He ended his World Bank career in 1999, and was appointed as the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and remained until December 2005.[4]