Youngest Microsoft Certified Professional has Died

Bangalore: Arfa Kareem Randhawa, youngest certified Microsoft Professional in the world and winner of the President’s Pride of Performance award was laid to rest on Sunday in the graveyard of her village Raam Devali, near Faisalabad, leaving people saddened across the country.

16 years old Arfa , was on life support at the ICU following a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure which damaged her brain on 22 December.

Arfa Karim was a student and computer prodigy who in 2004 got the honor of World’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) when she was only 9 years old. Bill Gates invited Arfa to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA at the age of 10. In August 2005, she was also honored by Pakistan Government with the 'Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal' in the field of Science and Technology.

Earlier the day, the funeral prayers of the deceased were offered at Khalid Mosque, Cavalary Ground. The funeral was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a large number of political leaders, army officers and people from different walks of life.

The Minister announced that Lahore Information Technology Tower (IT Tower) would be named after Arfa Karim.

The world will always remember her words like: "If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind.”