His parents were Amina and Goolam Pahad, activists in the Transvaal Indian Congress.
In 1963 he received a Bachelor of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he majored in sociology and Afrikaans.
In 1959 he graduated from the Central Indian High School in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Published a memoir, "Insurgent Diplomat", in 2014.
He completed a diploma at University College London in 1966, followed in 1968 by a Master's degree in international relations from the University of Sussex.