Inspiring story: Govt plans Arfa Karim documentary film

Information minister lauds the world’s youngest IT specialist.

ISLAMABAD:


The government is planning to make a documentary film about the life of Arfa Karim, the youngest ever Microsoft certified engineer who died last week.


“This documentary on Arfa Karim will be broadcast on television in Pakistan and a book will be published to pay homage to the world’s youngest IT specialist,” Firdous Ashiq Awan, the minister for information, told reporters.

The minister, who also visited Arfa’s parents in Lahore on Saturday, donated Rs1 million to the Arfa Karim Foundation on behalf of the government.

The young girl, who died at the age 16, received her engineering certificate at the age of 9. The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, personally met Arfa and got in touch with her parents when he found out the little girl was in a coma.


She remained in intensive care at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) after suffering an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest. After battling for her life for 26 days, one of Pakistan’s brightest brains passed away on January 14.

The Arfa Karim Foundation will support intelligent young people who do not have full access to educational opportunities.

Talking to media after meeting Arfa’s parents, Dr Awan  said Arfa was the daughter and pride of the entire nation and had given a roadmap to the youth through her revolutionary thoughts and vision.

Lauding the efforts of the late Arfa, she said that her name should be highlighted across the world as she had enhanced the respect of the country with her own initiatives.

Amjad Karim Randhawa, Arfa’s father, told the media that he wanted to highlight the cause of her daughter to the whole world and expressed his determination that the family would work for the youth of the nation through the Arfa Karim Foundation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd,  2012
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