New Delhi, Oct. 8: The hotline installed two days back to further confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan was activated today by Delhi when it offered help across the border for quake victims.

Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran today called up his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Mohammed Khan after coming to know that the neighbour had borne the brunt of this morning’s earthquake.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent a condolence message to President Pervez Musharraf and offered relief assistance.

“We have been distressed to learn of the extensive loss of lives and property that has taken place in Pakistan as a result of the severe earthquake,” Singh’s message said. “Please accept our sympathies and convey our condolences.”

He added that “India is prepared to offer any assistance on rescue and relief” to help Pakistan deal with the situation in the wake of the earthquake.

Later, he spoke to Musharraf and both leaders exchanged offers of assistance. During the 2001 Gujarat quake, Musharraf had called up the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and offered Pakistan’s assistance.

Foreign minister K. Natwar Singh, who earlier in the week had been to Islamabad, also sent a similar message to his counterpart Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri.

The messages were handed over to the two leaders by senior officials of the Indian high commission in Islamabad later in the day.

South Block said all the staff members of the high commission in Pakistan are safe.

At the time the hotline was installed, most people thought it would be used by the two senior-most officials in the respective foreign ministries for clearing doubts or misunderstanding on sticky bilateral matters.

However, India decided to use it for the first time to help Pakistan in its time of crisis.