India shuts down Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan for indefinite period  

India has shut down Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan for an indefinite period beginning Sunday midnight in view of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Home Ministry said.

The corridor is a 4.6-km-long passage which originates from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab and goes on till the Kartarpur shrine of Pakistan.

Pakistan government on Saturday banned its citizens from travelling to the shrine. 

"In wake of COVID19 India outbreak, as a precautionary measure to contain and control the spread of the disease, the travel and registration for Sri Kartarpur Sahib is temporarily suspended from 00:00 hours on March 16, 2020, till further orders," a home ministry spokesperson said.

On Saturday, the government had announced the suspension of all types of passenger movement from 00:00 hours on March 15 through the Indo-Bangla, Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Myanmar borders barring a few specified border checkposts.

All types of passenger movements through all the immigration land check posts located India-Bangladesh, India-Nepal, India-Bhutan and India-Myanmar borders will be suspended with effect from 00:00 hours on March 15, except through a few posts, and at India-Pakistan border with effect from 00:00 hours on March 16 until further orders, according to a home ministry order.

The decisions have been taken in view of the coronavirus threat, a home ministry official said.

In November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated a dedicated corridor connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara in Pakistan.

Indian pilgrims of all faiths are allowed to undertake round the year visa-free travel to the historic gurudwara, the final resting place of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev ji. 

(With inputs from PTI)