Faisalabad girl chats with Bill Gates

According to reports in US newspapers, Arfa Karim Randhawa, a 10-year-old Pakistani girl from Faisalabad, the industrial city in the central Punjab, has met Bill Gates.

Arfa attracted headlines in the country a few weeks ago when she became the youngest computer whiz, after passing the Microsoft Certified Professional examination for programmers. Her meeting with Gates was arranged after this news spread.

According to reports, the girl asked Gates why Microsoft did not hire people of her age. Arfa met Gates at the Microsoft's Redmond campus.

Her visit was arranged and sponsored by Microsoft to better introduce the precocious youngster to the company, and to give people at headquarters a chance to meet her.

During her stay there, she discussed computer-related skills with employees and toured the office, saying she too would like to work there.

According to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, Arfa made an impression through a combination of charm, flattery and boldness uncommon for someone her age.

During the meeting with Gates, she presented him with a poem she had written that celebrated his life story. But she also questioned him about what she perceived to be the relatively small proportion of women on the campus.

"It should be balanced an equal amount of men and an equal amount of women, she said. About 75 per cent of Microsoft employees are men.

Arfa told the newspaper that Gates acknowledged her concerns and talked about the industry's struggles to increase the proportion of women in technology-related fields. Other topics they discussed included her hometown, Faisalabad.

Arfa described Gates as an "ideal personality", explaining that he had been second only to Disneyland on her list of things she wanted to see in the United States.

Arfa has already enjoyed a trip to other key attractions in the United States, accompanied by her father.