On this day in 2012, Nation’s pride Girl Arfa Karim Randhawa passed away due to cardiac arrest. She became the public figure after becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in 2004. She was also invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA.
14th January 2019 The world’s youngest Microsoft certified IT expert of Pakistan Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa is being remembered on her 7th death anniversary.
Arfa Karim Randhawa was born in Faisalabad on 2 February 1995. Arfa was the first to win the title of the World’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in 2004. She kept that title till 2008. She became the Pride of Pakistan. Arfa represented Pakistan on various international forums including the TechEd Developers Conference. The IT expert little girl was unique and genius who met the Founder of Microsoft Bill Gates when she won the Microsoft Certified Professional title.
She received the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal from Prime Minister. She was also honored with the Pride of Performance award from the President, becoming the youngest recipient of this award. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 from the President of Pakistan.
On 22 December 2011, she suffered a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure that damaged her brain. She was admitted to CMH in critical condition. On 9 January 2012, Bill Gates contacted Arfa’s parents and directed his 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 received details about her illness and provided assistance in diagnosis and treatment.
Local doctors dismissed the option of moving Arfa to another hospital owing to her being on a ventilator and in critical condition. Arfa died in hospital at Lahore on 14 January 2012, at aged 16. After her death, a science park in Lahore named the Arfa Software Technology Park was named after her. With her God-gifted abilities, she brought glory to Pakistan,s name.
Arfa Karim was a sign of passion and courage for the new generation and continues to live on in our hearts.
