Congratulations and praises began pouring in for athlete Haider Ali on Friday morning soon after he made history by claiming the country's first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics Games.

Competing in the discus throw competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games, Ali achieved a 55.26 metre throw at his fifth attempt out of a total of six to score the best distance — almost 3m longer than Ukraine's Mykola Zhabnyak who scored 52.43m to come in second place.

Ali began trending on Twitter soon after his win, with Pakistanis praising and congratulating the athlete for making the country proud.

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam congratulated Ali, asking him to "keep on inspiring all of us".

PTI MNA Andleeb Abbas said the Paralympian had "made the country proud by winning the first-ever gold medal for Pakistan".

"Well done! You have made the history and the whole nation [is] proud of you," tweeted PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan.

PPP MNA Naz Baloch said Ali had "raised the Pakistan flag high" by winning gold.

For journalist Dr Nauman Niaz, it was "heartening" to see Ali win the medal. It was a "proud moment for all. Time to celebrate," he tweeted.

Singer and television anchor Fakhre Alam tweeted, "Such a great thing. Well done Haider Ali [...] Pakistan is proud of you."

Martial arts champion Kulsoom Hazara said seeing Ali win a gold medal was an "emotional yet the best moment ever".

Journalist Mazhar Abbas also wished the athlete, saying that "May you win more medals for Pakistan. Keep up your good work."

Journalist Faizan Lakhani also thanked the Paralympian "for this moment, for keeping Pakistan’s flag high, for making all of us proud".

Fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar said Ali had shown "the world that nothing can stop a person who is determined for greatness! You are a true inspiration for all."

Similarly, journalist Asif Khan said Ali was a "hero".

A tweet by the Prime Minister's Office praised and congratulated Ali for making the entire nation proud.