Arfa Karim death plunges nation into mourn

ISLAMABAD: The news of Arfa Karim's death has plunged the nation into grief and sorrow, who earned reputation for the country at age of nine by becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) in the world in 2004.

Funeral prayers of Arfa Karim Randhawa were held on Sunday. The prayers were also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Cavalry Ground.

Two more funeral prayers will be held for Arfa, one in Faislabad and another in her ancestral village where she will be buried.

Arfa Karim remained in intensive care at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) after suffering an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest a few weeks ago. She battled for life for 26 days.

Genius Arfa Karim 16, was studding at Lahore Grammar School Pargon Campus in her second year of ‘A’ levels. She suffered cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure on December 22 and was admitted to Lahore's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition but she lost her battle for life on January 14.

People from all around the world, prayed for her recovery during her 24 days in hospital and anxiously followed her day-to- day health update through media. At time of death, Arfa Karim was working on a ambitious project aiming at providing Information Technology (IT) opportunities to students of less developed areas of the country.

Her aim was to set up " Digicon valley" in the country like on the pattern of Silicon Valley of India, for providing free of cost software development education and healthcare facilities to less privileged students.

In on of her interview, she said Mircosoft Chief Bill Gates would visit Pakistan to inaugurate Digicon Valley. Citing reason of lagging behind the India in IT world, she said " we are giving more stress on higher education in comparison to basic education".

She was of view that children learning capability is higher than elders, so they should not waste their mental faculties.

"She was blessed with extra-ordinary capabilities and we realized her geniusness when she was only two", her parents Amjid Karim Randhawa and Samina Amjid Randhawa said. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in USA.

On returning to Pakistan, Arfa had numerous interviews with television and newspapers. In August 2005, Arfa Karim received the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology, by the Prime Minister of Pakistan at that time. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 by the President of Pakistan.

Arfa Karim is also the recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance. This is a very high level civil award granted to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time. Arfa is the youngest recipient of that award. Arfa Karim has also represented Pakistan on various international forums. She was invited by the IT Professionals of Dubai for a stay of two weeks in Dubai.

A dinner reception was hosted for her there, which was attended by the diagnostics of Dubai including the Ambassador of Pakistan. During that trip, Arfa was presented with various medals and awards. She also flew a plane in a flying club in Dubai at the age of 10, and received the first flight certificate.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012