Karachi, Sep 17 (PTI) A Pakistani scribe found himself at the receiving end of criticism after he objected to the national women's football team players wearing shorts during a tournament.

He raised his objection soon after Pakistan had beaten Maldives by seven goals in the ongoing SAFF Championship in Kathmandu.

Also Read | Legends League Cricket 2022 Points Table Live Updated: Check Team Standings With Net Run Rate of LLC T20 Cricket Tournament.

Participating in an international event after a long gap, this was the Pakistan team's first win in the championship in eight years, but the reporter covering the tournament preferred to focus on the players' kits.

"As you know we belong to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which is a Islamic country, I want to ask why are these girls wearing shorts, not leggings," the reporter asked the team's manager and other officials at the post-match press conference.

Also Read | Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: BCCI To Introduce ‘Impact Player’ Rule in Domestic Men’s T20 Tournament, Report.

Many people came down hard on the reporter for focussing on the players' clothes and not their achievements, while praising British-Pakistani footballer Nadia Khan for scoring four of the seven goals.

The national team coach, Adeel Rizki, clearly taken aback by the question, said that in sports "one has to be progressive".

"We have never tried to stop anyone as far as the uniform is concerned, it's something we don't control," he explained.

The video sparked a debate on social media about the reporter's line of questioning.

TV host and RJ Anoushey Ashraf, squash player, Noorena Shams and many others came out in strong support of the players and slammed the reporter for his "regressive mindset".

Others also criticised the reporter, noting that if he has problems watching the players in shorts he shouldn't be covering the event.

Football activities have resumed in Pakistan only recently with the FIFA finally allowing its teams to participate in international and regional events after a time frame for fresh elections was agreed upon by the country's warring football bodies.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)