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Child prodigy: Lights dim on a beautiful mind
Youngest ever Microsoft certified professional is in critical condition.
Aarifa Karim Randhawa.
FAISALABAD: In 2004, Aarifa Karim Randhawa was the youngest ever Microsoft certified professional in the world. Born in 1995, she received the prestigious title at the age of nine.
On December 22, Aarifa was admitted to Lahore’s CMH hospital after suffering cardiac arrest. On Thursday, doctors said there is no hope for her survival, and that her life support could be switched off ‘at any time’.
Aarifa’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”.
After the news of Aarifa’s condition emerged, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice and offered economic support to the family, but they have refused to take the money.
When Aarifa, 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.
Her love for technology, however, started long before she was recognised internationally. After discovering computers for the first time at the age of five, she pestered her father for a personal computer, and after that there was no looking back.
Aarifa’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.
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.
Aarifa’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.
Her talents however, are versatile. Besides excelling in the field of science and technology, Aarifa also flew a plane at the age of 10.
Aarifa’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”. (WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM THE NEWS DESK)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2011.
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Allha rehm framey.Ameen
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Waiting for her hard recovery .. GOD CANT DO SUCH INJUSTICE TO THE GIRL … WHO IS MUCH TALENTED … PRAY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE UNTILL SHE IS SAVED .. AND CAME BACK TO A BIG RECOVERY .
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*Truth is always the winner and it will win this time also .. *
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technology sucks everyone
May Allah bless her with health!
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Praying for her life and health. InshaALLAH all the DUAs for her will work and she will recover Ameen.
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Can any one keep me posted related to my very precious daughter of Pakistan. My email address:[email protected]
I am really worried for her well beingand praying for her early recovery. May Allah (SWT) have Mercy on this rising Pakistani star & Pakistan as well. Ameen
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Hope she is able to recover inshAllah. Prayers are with her.
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Terrible news. I desperately hope she feels gets better.
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My daughter, I have prayed for you, you will wake up and bloom.
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May ALLAH recovers her soon and she get rid of these (crisp) moments from which she is being going on…..
Prayers from the core of my heart….
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may god bless her.
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May she live long and fulfill her ambitions. Ameen!
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May Allah listen to all the prayers and give us back the true wealth, pride n future of our beloved nation
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May she recover and pursue what she loves most
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We are very proud of her achievements, May her parents have strength at such critical time…Ameen
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May Allah Almighty Bless Her with health and happiness. Ameen.
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May Allah bless her with peace in this world and the world hereafter….may Allah give her parents the strength to deal with this trying time.
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May Allah bless her with health and long life Ameen!
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Allah bless her with good health. Ameen
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May Allah bless her with health and she may live long.She is pride of our nation.
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Miracle will happen Inshallah and the kid will get well.
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I am really sadden by this news. My prayers are with you. May Allah grant you good health. Ameen.
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Hey my GOD, MY ALLAH, please give her life back, please give her a beautiful, wonderful, amazing, healthful, strengthful life once again…..Aameen…..I know you are there to listen to our prayers, so please give her life….Aameen.
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Ohhhhh!!!!!!! really very sad to hear! Heartiest pray for her May Allah Bless her with a new life and may she recover soon to serve this country and achieve her goal..Ameen
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May ALLAH giver her to sehat-e-kamla wa ajla.
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We all pray for her good health .
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May Allah give her a long, healthy, happy and successful life (Amen).
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May ALLAH keep HIS blessing on her, but I read the following article, which may be related to this event. Her parent should read the following article.
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/03/epilepsy#
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O God heal her. She is our asset.Recommend
Ya Allah we know what you have done, doing and will do is right, because you know what is right and wrong for us.
But please our lord if my pray give life to this little girl, then please accept my pray for her and for all those people who are in bad health condition or in any tension.
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May Allah bless her health and long life AMEEN
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May Allah Almighty give her a speedy and complete recovery.
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May Allah Bless her with speedy recovery and a long, healthy and successful Life.Ameen
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i have seen miracle happen INSHALLAH she will get well soon i am going for umra tomorrow i will pratt for her in haram and about that remark over burden or family pressure i think that person dont have kids of his own he dont know the pain of parents no one wants to see there kids in pain rite now shez not the younget ms person shez her parents little princess hanging between life n death so mister instead of giving this brytal remark say some good prayer for her if u cant do this then dont write painful remarks any ways i will pray for her life
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God protect her and get well soon
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My prays are with her and her family. She is truly an asset and will be a great lost.Our very own child genius.
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My prays are for her and for her family. It is indeed a tough times for her and her family. She is truly an asset. I pray for her recovery. Please update us all on any thing about. If she needs blood let me know. We need all start a campaign for her.
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My prayers and best wishes for her and her family. She is a daughter and a pride of Pakistan.
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she IS a miracle… may ALLAH bring her back to life…
and according to our honourable president and prime minister, we need asifa to guide us through the hard times!
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and saquib,she is 16.not a little girl. read the passage.
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I pray for her full recovery. We need more of such prodigies in this country.
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May Allah bless her
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God bless her
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May Allah Give her health and courage to her family ,ameen. She is a gem
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Rest In Peace. We will miss you
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We don’t want to loose such a precious gem.Oh Allah we wan’t to see her shining in the whole world like before.May you recover soon …Ameen !!
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May Allah save her life. Ameen
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May Allah bless her with good health and long life… Ameen sumameen
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O God she is daughter of this nation.O God we need such shiningstars at our this gloomy state of our country.O God we cant afford to lose this lovely baby.God pleeeeeese……
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May Allah bless her… and give her healthy long life…..Ameen
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Allah is ko seaht day Ameen
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This is incredibly sad……I am at a loss for words.
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Hoping and praying for a miracle.
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May peace be with you. A heart breaking, but also inspirational story of a brilliant young mind.
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ALLAH JI Aarifa Karim KI MDAD FARMYEN. AAMEEN
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I pray that Allah gives her shifa-e-kamila. Ameen
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Why didn’t the family accept financial assistance? Is she getting all the medical care she needs? I really hope they’re doing all they can to save her.
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Every one of us whom i know is preying for the little genius, oo god please help her, u can do miricles, she is our nations pride. dear Aarifa please come back.
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May Allah bless her and give her complete health. Ilahi Ameen
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I pray for a miracle Aarifa.
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Get wellRecommend
May ALLAH (swt) bless her with a speedy recovery and long, healthy and happy life.. Ameen!
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May modern Science restore her previous health.
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May Allah protect her and see her through these trying times…the same Allah that gave her an epilitic attack. Thank you for harrming this child, Allah is great!
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I hope she gets better, this is truly a shame and a shock. May she get the miracle she deserves.
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She is such a prodigy, I was once also an MCSE and know how hard it was to become one, and she did it at 9! Just 9 years old! What a bright star she is!
My prayers for the family.
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How sad for this to happen to such an amazingly talented person. Sometimes doctors are wrong. Maybe she can be the rare exception again and recover.
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Religion aside. Get well young one. I hope you make a recovery.
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This is really heartbreaking news. Aarifa get well soon. Pakistan needs daughters like you.
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I rarely pray, but I begged for the life of this poor child to the Merciful Benefactor. May she recover fully and continue inspiring people around the world with her genius.
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Mat Allah give her long life with good health.
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May Allah give her Long Life with Good Health.
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God Bless Her…
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Prayers and well wishes, my dear. I wish you the best and hope for your recovery.
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