Arfa Karim | |
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ارفع کریم | |
 Karimc. 2005 | |
| Born | Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa (1995-02-02)2 February 1995 Faisalabad, Pakistan |
| Died | 14 January 2012(2012-01-14) (aged 16) Combined Military Hospital Lahore, Pakistan |
| Cause of death | Cardiac arrest due toepileptic seizure |
| Resting place | Ram Diwali, Faisalabad |
| Alma mater | Lahore Grammar School, Paragon City Branch |
| Known for | World's youngestMicrosoft Certified Professional, 2004–2008[1][2] |
| Awards | |
Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa (Urdu:ارفع کریم رندھاوا,Punjabi:ارفع کریم رندھاوا; 2 February 1995 – 14 January 2012) was a Pakistani student and computerprodigy who became the youngestMicrosoft Certified Professional (MCP) in 2004. She was submitted to theGuinness Book of World Records for her achievement.[3] Arfa kept the title until 2008 and went on to represent Pakistan on various international forums, including theTechEd Developers Conference. She received Pakistan's highest literary award, thePresidential Pride of Performance from GeneralPervez Musharraf in 2005. Ascience park inLahore, theArfa Software Technology Park, is named in her honour.[4][5][6][7] At the age of 10, Arfa was invited byBill Gates to visitMicrosoft's headquarters in the United States.[8] She died in 2012, aged 16, from a cardiac arrest.
Randhawa was born into an ethnicPunjabi family fromRam Diwali inFaisalabad District,Punjab, Pakistan.[citation needed]
After returning to Pakistan from a visit to the Microsoft headquarters, Randhawa gave numerous television and newspaper interviews.S. Somasegar, the vice president of Microsoft's Software Development Division, wrote about her in his blog.[7] On 2 August 2005, Arfa was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by theprime minister of PakistanShaukat Aziz at the 113th anniversary ofFatima Jinnah's birth.[9] She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award in August 2005 from the president of Pakistan.[10] Randhawa received the President'sAward for Pride of Performance in 2005,[11] a civil award usually granted to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time; she is the youngest recipient of this award. She was made brand ambassador forPakistan Telecommunication Company's 3G Wireless Broadband service, "EVO", in January 2010.[12]
Upon her return from the US, Randhawa became an icon in Pakistan.[13] She was interviewed by various channels, invited to several international conferences and summits, and received awards from thepresident and prime minister of Pakistan.[14] In 2006, Microsoft invited her to be the keynote speaker at the Tech-Ed developers conference held inBarcelona.[11]
Randhawa representedPakistan on various international forums and was invited by the PakistanInformation Technology Professionals Forum for a two-week stay inDubai, where a dinner reception was hosted in her honour; Dubai dignitaries, including the Ambassador of Pakistan, attended. She was presented with various awards and gifts, including a laptop.[15] In November 2006, Randhawa attended theTech-Ed Developers conference themedGet Ahead of The Game held in after receiving an invitation from Microsoft.[11] She was the only Pakistani among over 5000 developers in that conference.[16]
In 2011, Randhawa was studying at theLahore Grammar School Paragon Campus in her second year ofA-levels. On 22 December 2011, she had acardiac arrest after anepileptic seizure that damaged her brain and was admitted to Lahore'sCombined Military Hospital (CMH) incritical condition.[6]
On 9 January 2012,Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, contacted Randhawa's parents and directed her doctors to adopt "every kind of measure" for her treatment. Gates set up a special panel of international doctors who remained in contact with her local doctors through teleconference. The panel assisted in diagnosing and treating her illness.[17] Local doctors dismissed the option of moving Randhawa to another hospital due to her being on aventilator and in critical condition. Members of her family have lauded Bill Gates for offering to bear her treatment expenses.[18]
Randhawa began to improve on 13 January 2012, and some areas of her brain began to show indications of healing. Microsoft had discussed flying her to the United States for treatment, according to her father, Amjad Abdul Karim Randhawa.[19]
Randhawa died at a hospital in Lahore on 14 January 2012, aged 16. Her funeral, which was held on the following day, was attended by theChief Minister of Punjab,Shahbaz Sharif. She was buried in her ancestral villageChak No. 4JB Ram Diwali, on Faisalabad-Sargodha RoadFaisalabad.[20]
Arfa Software Technology Park is the country's largest Information and Communications Technology Park located inLahore.[21] The seventeen-storey building is the first international standard facility in Pakistan.[21] The project started under the name "Lahore Technology Park" before being renamed "Arfa Software Technology Park" on 15 January 2012.[21] There is a permanent secretariat of the Arfa Karim Foundation at the Arfa Software Technology Park.[22]
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