ISLAMABAD: Pakistani student and computer prodigy Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa was remembered on the occasion of her birth anniversary.
Born on February 2, 1995 in 2004 at the age of nine, became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).
She kept the title until 2008. Arfa represented Pakistan on various international forums including the TechEd Developers Conference. She also received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 2005. A science park in Lahore, the Arfa Software Technology Park, was named after her. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit Microsoft Headquarters in the United States.
After returning to Pakistan from a visit to Microsoft headquarters, Arfa gave numerous television and newspaper interviews. On 2 August 2005, Arfa was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by government of Pakistan on the occasion of the 113th anniversary of the birth of Fatima Jinnah.She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 from the President of Pakistan.
Arfa is also the recipient of the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 2005,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.
Arfa represented Pakistan on various international forums, and was invited by the Pakistan Information Technology Professionals Forum for a stay of two weeks in Dubai.
In 2011, at the age of 16, Arfa was studying at the Lahore Grammar School Paragon Campus in her second year of A-levels. On December 22, 2011 she suffered a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure that damaged her brain, and was admitted to Lahore’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition.
On January, 9 2012, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, 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 January 14, 2012, aged 16. Her funeral, which was held on the following day, was attended by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif. On January 15, 2012, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the name of Lahore Technology Park would be changed to Arfa Software Technology Park.
