That was no joke!
I think I read it in my Lonely Planet Pakistan guidebook, that cyclists were advised to wear long pants, no shorts. In Pakistan I never wore shorts anywhere plus I wore shirts with long sleeves only too, because I was also wearing the traditional Pakistani dress for men in order to blend in better. Did the same in India.
In the more relaxed countries like Thailand, Philippines I wore shorts in a beach environment but in the cities also long pants, no shorts.