Arfa Karim

Arfa Karim Randhawa ( Urdu ارفع کریم رندهاوا; born February 2, 1995 Ram Diwali, Faisalabad, † January 14, 2012 in Lahore ) was a Pakistani A-level student and was a child prodigy in the field of computer science.

Early years and honors

Karim came from the village Ram Dewali in Faisalabad, Punjab. Her family was wealthy and westernized. Her father is a member of the pakistianischen military and promoted Arfa as well as her two younger brothers. With five years Arfa Karim had my first contact with computers. At the age of nine she was, the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional ( MCP) in the world. In 2005 she was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft headquarters in the USA.

August 2, 2005 Arfa Karim the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal - awarded in the field of science and technology by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. In August 2005, she also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award, awarded by the then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. She was also the youngest holder of the award Award for Pride of Performance of the Pakistani president.

After her death, the government of Punjab decided to appoint a Technology Park in Lahore after her.

Death

Karim suffered after an epileptic seizure on December 22, 2011, a cardiac arrest, which damaged her brain. She was hospitalized in critical condition at the Combined Military Hospital Lahore. She died on 14 January 2012 at the age of 16 years. At the memorial service on January 15 in the Al - Khalid Mosque of Lahore many celebrities participated, including the Prime Minister of the Punjab province, Shahbaz Sharif. Bill Gates spoke of her family personally expressed his condolences, he had previously also tried to help and offered treatment abroad.