Tribute to Arfa Karim

arfa_karim_tribute

Arfa Karim; it’s a name that needs no introduction. She made the nation proud when she became the youngest ever Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in 2004 at the age of 9.

Born on February 22nd, 1995 in Faisalabad, she held the title of the youngest ever MCP from 2004-2008. Arfa was always an extraordinary child. Her father said that she displayed signs of a remarkable memory from a very young age.

When her father bought her a computer, mainly for email purposes, she displayed an aptitude that exceeded her years. Looking at the things she was accomplishing, her father took her to APTECH, a nearby computer institute. While giving an interview on ARcast, she described the story in her own words:

“Actually when I was six years old, I saw my first computer; whenever you see something new you want to find, what is it? How does is it work? So I used to mess around and I got to know quite a lot of things about it from the hit and trial method and in about two years I got to know how to operate windows and different software’s completely. After that, I used to make a lot of presentations for my father and my mother. My father and my mother used to watch me and say “she got some talents in computers” so then they took me to an institute near by our house and there I started to learn C sharp and then I appeared for exam of MCP.”

There, she progressed leaps and bounds and passed the ‘Microsoft Certified Application Developer’ certification in four months. Microsoft officials in Pakistan verified her programming abilities through an additional exam as well.

She was then invited to Microsoft’s Redmond campus by Bill Gates for a personal meeting and to better introduce her to the company as well as give people at the campus a chance to meet her. She visited the campus with her father while her mother and two younger brothers, 3 and 7 at the time, stayed home.

The week long tour included lab tours and informal sessions with Microsoft employees and executives. She made a good impression on Gates as well as everyone who met her and amused Bill Gates with her confidence when she asked him about the small percentage of women on the Redmond campus. “It should be balanced – an equal amount of men and an equal amount of women,” she said afterwards.

S. Somasegar, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, mentioned her in his blog, saying: “She is a 5th grader who visited us at Microsoft for a few days along with her father.  I had a lot of fun in meeting Arfa and getting a chance to understand what motivated her to strive for such an accomplishment at such a young age. She definitely has some clear ideas about the kinds of scenarios she envisions technology can enable in the future.” It was him who decided to invite Arfa to Redmond after reading about her in an internal company newsletter.

After her return to Pakistan, Arfa won numerous awards and accolades. Among the ones awarded by the government were the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology, the Salam Pakistan Youth Award and the Presidents Award for Pride of Performance of which she was the youngest recipient ever. She appeared on many television shows for interviews as well. Here are a few clips of her appearing on TV:

Arfa represented Pakistan on various international forums like the IT Professionals of Dubai in which she was given various medals and awards. In 2006, she was invited by Microsoft to be a part of the keynote session in the Tech-Ed Developers conference held in Barcelona. The theme of the conference was “Get ahead of the game” and she was the only Pakistani in more than 5000 developers in that conference.

Arfa was in her second year of A levels when had a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure on the 22nd of December, 2011. She was admitted to the ICU in CMH, Lahore. As ProPakistani reported before, Bill Gates contacted her family and her doctors urging them to take every kind of measure. The doctors said that she had suffered brain damage which had left her in a coma but despite that she began to show some signs of improvement on 13th January 2012 but passed away the very next day.

Arfa was proud of her achievement and even put “Youngest MCP in the world” in her email signature. Her dreams were to study at Harvard, work in a company like Microsoft and return to Pakistan to revolutionize the field of satellite engineering.

It’s a pity that she died so young. Our thoughts and hearts go out to her family who must be devastated at her loss. May Allah grant her a place in heaven.


  • Really Sad!
    I cant help my self crying on this sad newsof her death. May Allah bless her soul!

    I hope there will be more ‘Arfa Kareem’ emerge from our country.

  • Why they put her little mind into so much work. MS certification is not important than the any life of a child.

    • Because most of the nation is sleeping so, I think, she decided to work for PAKISTAN

      Very sad news indeed. Big loss for Pakistan and her family

      • Don’t be ridiculous. Our nation doesn’t need certifications. MS Certifications doesn’t solve our problem. That will not stop drones who killed several Arfa Karims living in Waziristan. Non of them even got a tribute on Pro Pakistani only because they were not MS Certified.

        • Our nation may not need Certifications but it “certainly” needs “capable minds” and Arfa Kareem was one such capable mind.

          Yeah, Microsoft Certifications do not solve our problems, BUT achievements like these @ this level (what Arfa was able to achieve) surely help to remove the “tag” of “Extremism, Terrorism, Failed State” etc. associated with the name of Pakistan & Muslims.

          & Yes, that (MS Certifications) will surely not stop drones for good, BUT put the facts straight and accept that it is our own fault (by electing the WRONG people and sending them to RULE us)!!

          Think about it and try to draw a few positives out of it.

          Problem with people like you is, you guys keep on thinking negative & keep on looking the “closed doors for so long, that you don’t realize how many more doors have been opened for you”!!!

          Peace!

  • I feel tears in my eyes hearing such great loss to Pakistan and its future. No one tried to arrange air ambulance for her. Its is the greatest lost to Pakistan. Salute to her and condolence to her family

  • Really a proud for Pakistan. I am Proud to be her Country fellow. We should learn our children to break such record.

  • Arfa Karim – “A Maestro Short of Time” !!!

    Indeed a big inspiration, we Pakistanis (and the entire world) is proud of her.

    May Allah rest her soul in peace and the give the proud parents the required Sabr-e-Jameel

  • May Allah bless her soul in heaven, Ameen!!!
    Heartiest gratitude to family for such lovely blessings

  • Please send your tribute to her by reciting Surah-Fateha.

    .بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
    .الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
    .الرَّحمـنِ الرَّحِيم
    .مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين
    .إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِين
    .اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ
    .صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين

  • It was realy a very sad and shocking news. My eyes were wet to hear the news.God help our nation.

  • ooh i mshockes when i see the news.it is big loss of pakistan nd all over the world we must pray 4 arfa karim randhawa we r proud 2 be arfa…….

  • .بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
    .الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
    .الرَّحمـنِ الرَّحِيم
    .مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين
    .إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِين
    .اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ
    .صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين

  • i hv tears in my eyes.how ll our nation forget her for Pakistan.i just salute her.May Allah blessed her.

  • agr arfa kareem kisi ghareeb ghr ki bchi hoti to mujhe dukh hota, arfa kareem ne koi kamal nahi dikhaya, microsoft ki certification krna koi mushkil baat nahi hay, sirf study guides k kmal hen, or pesa hona chahiye certification k liye, kisi ghareeb ghr ki bchi ne certification hoti or phr vo dunya se jaati to mujhe bohat dukh hota, aarfa kareem ko dekh kr pata nahi ktni ghareeb ghron ki bchia ehsas-e-kmtri mehsoos krti ti…
    after all, i want to tell you that only few people knows history of Microsoft, i can easily say that Microsoft is nothing, Bill Gates is nothing, WIndows is nothing when we compare all of this MS family products to Linux familty. Damn you all Microsoft and Bill Gates lovers…

  • What do you know of MCP. The point is not having done this accomplishment, rather it is the “Young Age” that matters. Dude, come out of your miseries and cheap thoughts.

    If you can’t appreciate then its better to shut the f*** up.

  • Arfa demonstrate how a Pakistani should live. What ever time Allah has given to us we should live for sake of Pakistan becuase people always raise question what country has given to them but they never realize what they have contribute for the mother Land.
    In End for Arfa I want to say May Allah give every parent daughter like Arfa. Ameen

  • great telent with pakistan but unfortunatlly we have lost to arfa kareem.she mate with the first rich man person of this world billgates

  • Arfa Karim duniya ka wo nam hai k jab be IT ki duniya main koi nam liya jai ga to us main Arfa Karim ka nam Top p ho ga. Agar m yeh kahu k Arfa Karim k bad Pakistan ki IT main jo jaga khali hui hai wo kabhi pur na hoge to m shayed wo haq ada na kar saku jis ki arfa karim Haqdar hai.

    Main M. Sohail Anjum Allah Rab-Ul-Izzat se dua karta hu k wo meri Ideal or Bint-e-Hawa par apni Rehmat ka saya Hamesha rakhe or use Jannat m jaga dy. Ameen Sum Ameen


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