As Pamaal continues, the story has gone deeper into toxic partners and their capability of worsening all relationships around them. In episode 13, Malika (Saba Qamar) gives birth to a daughter whom she cannot name but only care for. Raza(Usman Mukhtar), on the other hand, makes decisions for their child, her name to what clothes she will wear. He would also negate Malika’s choice in whatever she decides or desires for their child.
His behaviour towards his daughter is similar to that of his wife. He wants to control everything she does and blames his wife for any inconvenience caused to the little one. Malika is told to be careless while she is single-handedly catering for the child’s needs, regardless of being in postpartum.
This drama serial has very delicately touched on the consequential topic of postpartum depression and how a lack of support from your spouse can trigger it. While she is trying her best to be a good mother to her daughter, Raza’s constant nagging and lack of trust have pushed her into isolation.
Finding herself deep in the trenches of self-doubt and exhaustion, Malika starts to disassociate herself from motherhood. She has started to believe that their daughter belongs only to her husband, as she has no right over her. Her job is to babysit her own child, while her husband is always doubting her motherhood and ability to care for their child.
On top of that, she is now expecting her second child within a year of delivering, clearly suffering from postpartum depression. On the contrary, Raza is ecstatic about their growing family and looks forwards to it. When she voiced her concern, she was met with judgment from her husband and mother for being ungrateful.
The way the powerful episode ends is a clear depiction of a pregnant woman battling postpartum depression who is also ensuring that the needs of her family are met. That’s exactly how an overburdened and exhausted woman collapses to the ground.
Viewers sympathise with Malika for the mental abuse and distress she is going through and urge people to understand the severity of postpartum depression. A user commented:
People are saddened by the portrayal of a struggling first-time mom and can understand how it mirrors our society; a user stated:
Understanding her confusion at the news of a second child, a user said:
Criticising the ones blaming Malika in this marriage, a netizen stated that the effects of a woman going through such torture are lifelong, as women eventually tend to become bitter. She wrote:
