GILGIT, July 17: Two unknown attackers hurled hand grenades at the offices of International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Chilas, on Wednesday, badly damaging the offices, police sources said. A watchman of the UNDP was hurt in the attack.

A vehicle of the IFAD (X-68-603) and window-panes of the IFAD building were badly damaged, police said.

The personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) opened fire on the attackers but the attackers fled from the scene, the police said.

They said that at least 10 hand grenades were thrown into the IFAD building but only two of them went off.

Police have detained 20 suspects in connection with the attack. This was the seventh attempt at IFAD and UNDP offices in various parts of Diamer.

The project was jointly launched by the government of Pakistan, UNDP and IFAD in 1999 for socio-economic development of the Diamer district.

“Right from its start, IFAD and UNDP offices have failed to gain acceptability among the local people who are very conservative in their traditions and religious beliefs, an official of the Northern Areas administration said.