New Delhi, March 12: The visit of United States Defence Secretary Mark Esper to India and Pakistan was officially postponed on Thursday, the White House said in a statement. Esper's trip to India was scheduled on March 15-16 to discuss defence ties with his Indian counterpart. His itinerary included a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The cancellation of his visit comes amid the outbreak of coronavirus -- declared as pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Coronavirus Live Map: Track The Spread of COVID-19 Across The Globe.

Apart from India, Espar was also scheduled to visit Pakistan -- which has also been affected by COVID-19. The meeting in Islamabad was keenly awaited by geo-political observers as the Imran Khan-led regime is expected to play a key role in the pullout of US troops from war-torn Afghanistan. As per the peace deal inked with Taliban, the US has promised to exit the nation in 14 months. Coronavirus Vaccine Will Take Nearly 2 Years, Says ICMR; Health Ministry Lists Measures to Contain Outbreak.

Update by PTI

The total number of coronavirus cases in India surged to 73 on Thursday -- 17 among them being foreign nationals. The numbers were released by the Indian government a day after it imposed a self-quarantine measure, suspending all visas - barring diplomatic, official and UN-related - till April 15. The restriction on visas were imposed following the declaration of coronavirus as "pandemic" by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Government is fully vigilant about the situation due to COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Across ministries and states, multiple steps have been proactively taken to ensure safety of all. These steps are wide-ranging, from suspension of visas to augmenting healthcare capacitie," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement issued today.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2020 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).