Netizens Question Journalistic Values After Reporter Asks Pak Womens Team About Their Shorts After Historical Win

Image Credits: Twitter and Hindustan Times

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Netizens Question 'Journalistic Values' After Reporter Asks Pak Women's Team About Their Shorts After Historical Win

The SAFF Championship was the first international tournament in eight years that the Pakistani team had competed and won in, and a reporter chose to shift the focus on the length of the uniform worn by the female players.

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The month of September saw many wins for Pakistan's sports team as the men's cricket team made it till the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup, and the women's football team made a clear-cut victory against the Maldives team in the 6th South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

Many were glued to the screens and had their fingers crossed for the women's team, as it was the first time in eight years that a Pakistani sports team was playing an international tournament. However, during a press conference after the historical game, the team's win was toned down to a question on the length of the uniforms worn by the female players.

A video of the reporter's question and the coach's response to the same was posted online, which has now been garnering a wide range of responses from netizens.

Islamic Values On The Field

The match of September 13 wrapped up with a score of 7-0 in favour of the Pakistan women's team, and Nadia Khan was awarded the star player of the match with four goals under her shoes. After defeating the Maldives team at the SAFF championship, the team welcomed questions from media reporters at the press conference.

During the conference, their historic win was sidelined by a question about the uniform worn by the players. Journalist Rafiq Khan, based in Lahore, posed the question and asked, "As you know, we belong to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which is an Islamic country. I want to ask why are these girls wearing shorts?"

While the question was least expected, the team's coach Adeel Rizki respectfully responded that they understand that as an Islamic nation, their values are very strong, but it is important to move progressively in sports.

He added on to the statement that the team was never stopped from preferring the kind of uniform they would want to play in. "We have never tried to stop anyone as far as the uniform is concerned; it's something we don't control," he said, as quoted in an article by the Hindustan Times.

Ever since the video of the press conference went online, netizens have been pouring in different kinds of reactions in regard to the journalist's question. While some criticising him for the comment, others expressed that they understood the relevance of the question posed.

Reactions By Twitteratis

Initially, when the video went online, there was a severe backlash against the journalist, and many had begun discussing the grounds for good journalistic practices. They questioned if the reporter was well within his rights to have asked such a question.

Some have called out the journalist and tagged it as "misogynistic reporting" and asked if the journalist would have the same question for the men's football team.

Several prominent people, including television host and radio jockey Anoushey Ashraf and squash player Noorena Shams, expressed their support for the players and condemned the reporter for having a "regressive mindset".

While there were active discussions going on about the uniform code and the comfort of players in sports, few came along in support of the journalist.

They defended him, saying that his question was posed from the angle of "Islamic teachings", and as women representing the country, the players had a responsibility to abide by their religious and cultural norms in international spaces.

Also Read: Breaking Boundaries: How Women's Cricket Team Has Shaped Over The Years In India?

Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Laxmi Mohan Kumar
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Editor : Snehadri Sarkar
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Creatives : Laxmi Mohan Kumar

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