Arfa Karim Randhawa, world youngest MCP on life support

Arfa Karim Randhawa 16 years old, world youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), is on life support in a hospital in Lahore. She is in critical condition. But doctors still hope for her. Professor Dr Azhar Hussain, a neurosurgeon at the King Edwards Medical University, Lahore after examining Arfa Karim Randhawa at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore has opined that “this was not a hopeless case.”

She suffered from cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure on December 22, 2011 and was admitted to Lahore's Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) in critical condition. First doctors said there is no hope for her survival, and that her life support could be switched off ‘at any time’. But later on 3 January Dr Hussain said: “we believe that we can be successful in activating her cerebral activity.”

Prime Minister Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani too has sent his representative, Dr Muhammad Iftikhar, who has joined the medical experts at the CMH Lahore to assure best possible medical care is provided for Randhawa. Dr Iftikhar has assured on behalf of the federal government that it would provide medical assistance for the survival of Arfa Karim anywhere in the word as per advice and suggestions of the resident medical team. 

Arfa Karim Randhawa in CMH (Hospital) Lahore

Arfa’s father, Lt Col (Retd) Amjad Karim Randhawa told The Express Tribune that she had suffered an epileptic attack, which caused severe brain and heart damage. Randhawa said “only a miracle will allow my brilliant, genius daughter to live now”. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice and offered economic support to the family, but they have refused to take the money.

Arfa’s father, Lt Col (Retd) Amjad Karim Randhawa told the publication that that the cardiac arrest was caused by an epileptic attack, which also damaged her brain. “Only a miracle will allow my brilliant, genius daughter to live now." 

Lt Col Randhawa said that samples from Arfa, including scans of her brain have been mailed to renowned medical experts in Australia and other countries.

“I have been constantly receiving a flood of calls from abroad as well as within Pakistan inquiring after the health of Arfa”, Lt Col Randhawa said.

“A number of medical experts of all the leading developed countries are also in touch with me as well as the doctors of CMH and are providing vital assistance for her survival”.

Lt Col Randhawa said that while doctors had given up hope at one point, there was renewed belief that Arfa could be saved. “Now we believe that a miracle will take place for the survival of Arfa Karim”.

Arfa Karim Randhawa, who began showing an interest in computers at age 5, passed Microsoft’s rigorous certification in 2004. To attain the credential, applicants had to show technical proficiency with .Net, Visual Studio 6.0 and Windows Server 2003.

When Arfa, now 16, was given the title of a Microsoft professional as a young child, she visited the company’s headquarters in the US. When she met Bill Gates himself, she had two questions: "Why weren’t children allowed to work for Microsoft, and why such few women worked for the organisation."

Arfa said: “Everyone thought the result was wrong.” Afterwards, when Arfa returned to Pakistan, she became a national celebrity. In 2006, Arfa also took part in the keynote session in the Microsoft Tech-Ed Developers conference in Barcelona.

Arfa’s father recalled the year in which his daughter passed the test which enabled her to be declared the youngest professional certified by Microsoft in the world. “When she passed the test at age nine, everyone thought the result was wrong,” he reminisced. She wanted to make software just like Bill Gates, he added. She would say that she wanted to work for children and poor people.

Arfa with Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and S. Somasegar at Microsoft Headquarters USA.

Proudly, he said she came from a ‘low-profile’ family, but she would always say she wanted to study all over the world and then come back to help the people in her village. Her dreams were never for herself alone.

Arfa’s achievements go far beyond recognition from Microsoft alone. The 16-year-old, a student of Lahore Grammar School’s Paragon campus, has represented Pakistan in various international forums. In 2005, the child prodigy received the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal from the government as well as the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award. In addition, she has received the president’s award for Pride of Performance, medals from IT professionals around the world, and also became a brand ambassador for PTCL in 2010.

S. Somasegar

S. Somasegar the corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft, writes about Arfa in his bolg: "I got a chance to meet with this wonder kid – Arfa Karim Randhawa earlier this week. 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."

Her talents however, are versatile. Besides excelling in the field of science and technology, Arfa also flew a plane at the age of 10.

Arfa’s life hangs in the balance, and while most have given up hope, her father says: “I am praying and I want everyone to pray for her”.