At the Small Heaven School in Chitwan district, friends, teachers and students gathered around a framed photograph of the 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, adorned with flowers.

Lighting candles, they shared with AFP their memories of the boy they knew long before he became one of the most celebrated figures in modern mountaineering.

“When he was missing, we were praying for him and spent sleepless nights,” Dhiraj Bahadur Panta, a school friend of Purja, told AFP, his voice quivering with emotion.

“It was not only me and my friends. I think people all over the world who knew him… prayed for him. But it was his fate; no one could avoid it.” Purja was killed alongside nine other climbers after they were caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Thursday.

News of his death has prompted heartfelt tributes from across the climbing community and beyond, with figures such as Britain’s Prince William offering condolences.

Purja arrived at the boarding school in Nepal’s southern plains as a young boy before later joining the British Gurkhas, a path that eventually led him into elite military service and then to global mountaineering stardom.

He studied at the school for eight years, forging a close bond with fellow students and teachers.

‘Fearless’

On Sunday, students filed past his portrait, laying flowers and offering prayers as teachers remembered their courageous and disciplined pupil.

“Even when he was in class three, he was fearless and committed to achieving something,” Shailendra Baral, who supervised Purja in the school hostel, told AFP.

“He was honest and an obedient student, which made us happy. We found courage in him even when he was a child.” In 2019, Purja stunned the climbing fraternity by scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months, shattering the previous record of seven years.

His feat was later chronicled in a Netflix documentary, helping inspire a new generation of climbers and elevating Nepal’s profile in a sport long dominated by Western adventurers.

In 2021, he was part of the historic all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of mountaineering’s most dangerous challenges.

In 2022, Purja received a hero’s welcome when he came to Chitwan for the screening of his documentary.
“I grew up here, running around with no shoes on,” he said in a social media post at the time.

“This is my hometown and so I wanted everyone here to see the film and inspire the younger generation.” For many of the students gathered on Sunday, Purja’s achievements were already part of the school’s folklore.

“It really feels bad to hear this news because we had always (heard) good things about him,” said student Sarbagya Paudel.

“His bravery has set a great example for our school. Not only has he made our school proud, but he has also brought pride to Nepal.

“It is heartbreaking to know that he is no longer with us. “

The 80-year-old Republican’s comments about the US war against Iran have shifted, sometimes dramatically and quickly, since the conflict erupted on February 28.

He has repeatedly declared victory, claiming Iran’s military capabilities were utterly defeated, only to later tweak the war timeline or threaten Tehran with more strikes.

He praised Iran’s new leaders on June 17 as “very smart” and “far less radicalized” than their predecessors killed in US and Israeli strikes.

By July 8, a frustrated Trump changed his tune. “I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum,” he said.

Here are some of the main examples of Trump’s threats against Iran, and how he has dialed them back.

March 21

“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

Trump’s threat, made on his Truth Social platform, was striking given that an intentional attack on power plants, deemed essential civilian infrastructure, is widely considered a war crime.

March 23

Two days later, Trump extended the deadline for five days, citing “very good and productive conversations” with Iran. He then paused the “period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 days” to April 6, citing ongoing diplomatic talks.

April 5

With time running out on his 10-day extension, Trump unleashed a profanity-laded post on Easter Sunday: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”

He concluded by saying “Praise be to Allah.”

April 7

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump announced in a post that many interpreted as a threat to wipe out Iran and it’s population of roughly 90 million.

April 7

Hours later, he said: “I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump said, accepting a truce proposal from war mediators after he spoke to leaders in Pakistan.

June 11

“The United States will be hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT” and “at some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island” and other oil infrastructure locations, Trump posted on Truth Social.

June 11

Five hours later Trump said he “cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” citing progress in negotiations towards securing a deal aimed at ending the war.

An interim deal to end the fighting was signed in June, but within a month the conflict re-intensified, with Iran hitting US facilities across the Middle East and US forces striking Iranian coastal defenses but expanding the targets to include bridges and infrastructure.

July 31

“We’ll be hitting them very hard, and you know at some point they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore,’” Trump told a meeting of his cabinet Friday.

August 1

“We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack,” Trump said, claiming that “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Iran’s state media vigorously denied that such a request was made by the Islamic republic.

According to party officials, the scuffle broke out between supporters of two purported rival groups within the party, led by federal ministers Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Mustafa Kamal.

However, the cause of the conflict had not yet been confirmed.

A police officer, who requested anonymity, told Dawn that one person had been injured in the incident. The officer confirmed that the victim had sustained a firearm injury. He added that police were present at the scene and the situation was under control.

Another official told Dawn that the scuffle broke out during the party’s meeting and said authorities were investigating what had triggered the infighting.

However, he said no one had been seriously injured in the incident.

The official added that police contingents had rushed to the scene to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

“The situation is now under control,” the officer said, adding that, so far, no one had approached the New Town police to lodge a complaint.

Following the scuffle, a press conference that was reportedly to be held by the party leadership was postponed.

In a post on X, Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed said: “They set out to divide Sindh, but failed to keep their own house in order.”

“Those who sought to divide others have themselves splintered into factions today. The people have once again given a fitting response to those who pursued the politics of hatred against Sindh’s unity,” Javed said.

“Every dream of dividing Sindh was buried before, and it has been buried once again today. Sindh was united, Sindh is united and Sindh will remain united.”

Swat police spokesperson Nasir Iqbal Karimi, while speaking to Dawn, confirmed the death toll.

Malakand Division Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain told AFP that police officers were among those martyred.

He added that 22 people had been wounded and another body, suspected to be that of the bomber, had been brought to hospital.

According to the Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Khan, the suicide bomber detonated explosives after police personnel attempted to stop and search him at the entrance of the police station.

The DPO said that the police remained on high alert. “Security forces have cordoned off the area, and an investigation is underway to collect further evidence,“ he added.

The explosion occurred near the gate of Kabal police station while hundreds of people were participating in a public demonstration at nearby Kabal Chowk against the recent wave of terrorism in Swat Valley.

The powerful blast caused multiple casualties, prompting an immediate emergency response from police, rescue teams and local authorities.

The injured were shifted to nearby Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for treatment, while security personnel sealed off the area and launched a search operation.

The protest had drawn a large crowd from across the district and the attack occurred as the final speaker was addressing the crowd, triggering panic among participants. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Addressing the gathering before the blast, the speakers condemned the resurgence of terrorism in Swat and demanded that the government ensure lasting peace. They said their movement had a single agenda: the restoration of peace and the elimination of terrorism from the region.

The speakers stressed that maintaining law and order and eradicating terrorism were the state’s responsibility, warning that continued insecurity could trigger widespread public unrest, citing recent protest movements in other countries as examples of growing public frustration.

The speakers also criticised the authorities for what they described as action against peaceful citizens while terrorists continued to operate in the mountainous areas of Swat. They alleged that terrorists had openly circulated videos on social media and questioned why stronger action had not been taken against them.

“Our children deserve education, and our families deserve to live in peace,” one speaker told the gathering.

“We have witnessed years of bloodshed. Our mothers, sisters, and daughters have suffered immensely, and we do not want another generation of widows and orphans.”

Condemnations pour in

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the loss of life and called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident, according to a statement issued by his office on X.

President Zardari directed the relevant authorities to provide the best possible medical facilities to those injured.

“Terrorists will never succeed in their nefarious efforts to undermine peace, national unity and the writ of the state,” he was quoted as saying. He added that the sacrifices of the KP police were “a source of pride for the entire nation”.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the blast.

“Terrorists cannot demoralise the nation with cowardly attacks,” Kundi was quoted as saying, as per a statement.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, condemning the incident, sought a report from the KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.

“The elements hostile to peace will never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious intentions,” the chief minister was quoted as saying.

Earlier in the day, an IED blast near the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway toll plaza injured two policemen in the provincial capital Peshawar. On July 30, a terrorist attack on a police checkpost in Hangu martyred nine policemen.

KP has seen an uptick in terrorist activity. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies’s monthly security assessment, KP, excluding the merged districts, recorded 154 terrorism related deaths in July, compared with 75 in June, representing an increase of 105 per cent.