Minister of Sindh for Science and Technology, Dr. Sikandar Ali Shoro has recently said that the Government of Sindh is intending to launch an IT city in Malir which will be named after the late Pakistani prodigy, Arfa Karim. To be precise, it would be named as Arfa Karim IT City.
Sikandar Ali proposed this project at a meeting which was attended by the members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). The proposal was put forward by the minister for the promotion and development of IT sector in Pakistan.
President of FPCCI, Arshad Farooq expressed his gratitude to the minister. He also voiced his desire to create “paper less environment to develop strong linkages among the organizations for information sharing.”
About Arfa Karim
At the tender age of 9 in 2004, Arfa Karim became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional. She kept the title until 2008. She represented Pakistan on several international forums.
Arfa was also invited by Bill Gates to visit Microsoft Headquarters in the United States. After returning to Pakistan from a visit, she gave number of television and newspaper interviews. In the field of Science and Technology, she was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz. She also received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance.
It is worth to mention that Lahore’s IT Park by Punjab Government has also been named after Arfa Karim. Following a cardiac arrest in 2012, Arfa Karim unfortunately succumbed to death at the age of just 16.
Development of the project
The first phase of the megaproject is completed according to the official website of Sindh ministry. On the initial basis, the phase consisted of obtaining the required 200 acre land. In addition, it also contained the development of the masterplan for the city.
The next phase consists of getting investors on board for the project. Thereafter, the phase-wise construction of the city will get commenced.
Other projects
During the meeting, the Minister of Sindh stated that the ministry is also focused on widespread projects including e-governance with various other departments of the government. It includes health, education, law enforcement agencies, police, judiciary, NADRA and district government.
Sikandar Ali also asserted that the ministry is also working on Geographical Information System (GIS). Furthermore, the minister also said that the Sindh government would assist FPCCI in creating data banks besides improving other IT services.
Do you think it’s a great gesture from the Government of Sindh to remember Arfa Karim?
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