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Arfa Karim Randhawa—- Pakistan’s Pride

World's Youngest Microsoft Professional

Arfa Karim Randhawa – An Inspiration for All

Some people are God-gifted. They come in life and become part of memories and their absence leaves a sad impact on the soul. One such personality is known as Arfa Karim Randhawa.

Who is Arfa Karim?

Arfa Karim Randhawa had made a big reputation in a little age due to her brilliant mind. Who became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional at the age of nine.

She had really a great personality that becomes proud of the nation.

After Arfa passed the Microsoft exam in 2004, Bill Gates was so impressed by her that he invited her to the company’s US headquarters.

When Bill Gates found out she was ill, he also offered medical treatment help and was in touch with her family.

Arfa Karim Biography:

Arfa Kareem was a Pakistani Nationality holder. Her full name is Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa. She was born in the city of Faisalabad and she belonged to an ethnic Punjabi Jut family.

She visited many Microsoft headquarters around the world and after returning she gave interviews in many television shows and in newspapers.

She was also the brand ambassador for 3G wireless Broadband Service, EVO of  Pakistan Telecommunication Company.

Col Karim retired from the army to be his daughter’s manager. He says her mother and two younger brothers are in shock after her death.

Her father, Col Amjad Karim, says she was particularly concerned to use her skills to help the young, those under-served by IT and those from villages.

“It is generally understood that computers are for very hi-fi people or rich schools but nowadays one can be purchased for a few thousand rupees by the poorest of poorest,” he told the BBC.

“Arfa’s centre of gravity was wanting to improve human resource development by focusing on education.”

Arfa’s father also champions the potential of IT to improve things for young Pakistanis but says his daughter’s influence went further than that.

Arfa used to say, ‘Don’t take our generation lightly’,” Col Karim says.

She was a role model to “so many other young people – young girls”, he says, who referred to her as “Arfa aapi (sister)”.

She was good at singing, poetry, so many things,” her father says.

As I leave, I ask for his email address and it dawns on him that he doesn’t have it.

“Actually, Arfa used to handle my emails and her own… so I don’t have my password.”

Arfa Kareem Age:

She was born on 2 February 1995 in Faisalabad and died on 14 January 2012 due to cardiac arrest.

Her zodiac sign was Capricorn. She had Punjabi Jutt Ethnicity.

Her father’s name is Amjad Abdul Karim Randhawa and her mother is named Samina Amjad.

Arfa Karim’s Success Story

In an interview the great mother of Arfa kareem said in a very contented way;

The ecstasy of being known and identified as her mother is inexpressible.

In 2004, Arfa Karim when at the age of nine got renowned by getting his name in the Guinness book of World Records as the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

She was a very intelligent, disciplined and enthusiastic child. She was so creative that she wrote her first poem at the age of five. In broadening her horizons and visions, Sufi poetry of Allama Iqbal and Baba Bulleh Shah played a big role.

There was a hidden talent in her that she was curious to explore each and everything around. In school, she saw a desktop computer and there was an inner curiosity that fantasized about her exploring such a strange thing. She convinced her father to buy her that luxury item.  When she got that she began to explore many more things in it. In no time, she learned the basics. Her father admitted her to a computer training center but they refused to train her as she was so small. The instructor asked Arfa to achieve the MCP Certificate.

She burnt the midnight oil to pass that exam and after getting the success she was invited to meet Bill Gates who is the founder of Microsoft Cooperation. In a very short period of ten minutes, she impressed Bill Gates. She shared her determination to build a Digicon Valley In Pakistan.

She was a multitalented girl. She got her flying certificate on August 2, 2005, from Dubai just after giving three trials. Everyone was blown by her mind-blowing and sheer talent.

Among five thousand members from various parts of the world, she was such a genius having Pakistan nationality invited to attend a Developer Conference in Barcelona in 2006.

In December 2011 she died due to an epileptic attack. Bill Gates arranged the best treatment for her in Pakistan but she left us and died on 14th January 2012.

Awards and AchievementsGuinness World Records

  • In the year 2005, Arfa Kareem received the President’s Award from the government of Pakistan that is for Pride of Performance.
  • On the 113th birth anniversary of Fatima Jinnah, mother of the Nation, the prime minister of Pakistan presented Arfa the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology.
  • In August 2005, she also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award.
  • Arfa Kareem had her name in the Guinness Book of World Records and she was recognized personally by Bill Gates and thus invited by him to the United States to visit Microsoft Headquarters.
  • Arfa Kareem represented her country on several global forums including the TechEd Developers Conference.

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  • She was the youngest pilot who took the first flying certificate from Dubai Flying Club.
  • 3G Wireless Broadband service, EVO is a Pakistan Telecommunication Company, had made Arfa the brand ambassador in January 2010.
  • After her death, a science park in Lahore was converted to her name in her honor as Arfa Software Technology Park.

since park arfa karim

Representation at international conventions

Arfa Karim was such an amazing and brilliant girl that she represented Pakistan at many international forums in a very awesome way. She was also invited for stay in Dubai by the Pakistan Information Technology Professionals Forum and in her honor, there was a dinner reception.

Due to her remarkable intelligence, she was awarded and given gifts from various institutions and countries. She also received an invitation from Microsoft to attend the Tech-ED Develops conference that has the subject Get ahead of the Game.

How did Arfa become Famous?

She proved a brilliant mind as a student and made several records in her teenage. She occupied great interest in computers to take Pakistan towards digital Pakistan.

At the age of nine, she became Microsoft Certified Professional and thus became enabled to validate her expertise in IT Professionals and Developers.

When she was 10 years old, she received a pilot’s license.

After her visit to US Microsoft headquarters, she got much popularity and gave a lot of interviews to the television channels and newspapers. An Indian American technology business executive named S. Somasegar wrote about her in his blog.

After that time, she got fame and started to receive invitations in different summits and international conferences.

Black Box Sound youtube Channel has called Arfa as Princess of Bill Gates.

Arfa Karim Death Reason:

Arfa died only at the age of 16 in the year 2012. At that time she was a student of the second year at A-level.

She suffered from cardiac arrest. A heart attack following an epileptic fit. Arfa had been in intensive care in Lahore in Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in a very critical situation.

The chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates contacted Arfa’s doctors on 9 January 2012 and they asked to go through every single possibility to save her life. Bill Gate also recruited a foreign panel of doctors who were in contact with the contact of Arfa’s Doctor through teleconference. This panel helped a lot in diagnosing and treating her illness. As she was on a ventilator in a very critical condition, she could not move to any other country for treatment. Bill Gates also bears all her treatment expenses.

Under such extensive care, she began to improve and her condition was getting better as some areas of her brain started healing but on the other day, all the efforts were in vain when she died on 14th January, at the age of 16.

Senior politicians (Mr. Shahbaz Sharif) joined relatives at her funeral in the city on Sunday. She is buried in Ram Dewali, Faisalabad.

She has already had a technology park named after her in Lahore. Her loss is also being felt by Pakistan’s IT world.

Different news Channel announces her death anniversary and remembers her in great words as Dunya news called her Daughter of Nation on her 3rd death anniversary.

She is really proud of Pakistan.

However, Arfa is dead but still alive in our hearts. Nation will never forget her efforts in Microsoft segment for this motherland.

That’s the reason so why different organizations celebrate her birthday every year on the 2nd of February.

#Happy_Birthday_in_Heaven

Anesa Yasmeen

Aneesa Yasmeen; a Senior analyst on Current affairs who always focuses on exploring better-researched outcomes by deep analyst strategies. She is a passionate author and enjoys writing about the latest events happening in Pakistan.

7 Comments

  1. Arfa Karim is the world’s best youngest software professional. I like zartash Pakistan because the Zartash Pakistan is sharing great knowledge of Pakistan. It is providing the latest news of Pakistan. Wishes for the best Zartash Pakistan.

  2. Here in your article you discussed about the Arfa Karim the youngest software engineer of the World. You are providing a very great information about the talented people of the world like Arfa Karim. Bundle of thanks for providing great post.

  3. Before reading your post i was not knew much about Arfa Karim but after reading your post i am very happy because you have described very well about Arfa karim and about her professional life. Obliged you for sharing your website.

  4. Thanks for sharing your great post about the youngest Microsoft professional of Pakistan. I hope that you will also provide more informative posts with us.

  5. Usually, i don’t like to comment on posts but after reading your this post i can’t stop myself to say something about your post. Really nice topic that you have discussed in your article. It was very interesting post because it is about the Arfa karim who is the youngest software professional. Thanks for sharing your post.

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