Pakistan, Jan. 11 -- Whispers of an alleged rift between Pakistan's civilian government and the military establishment have lately grown into a clamour on social media wherein self-styled analysts spin tales of institutional infighting. The reality is far less sensational. Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership are, by all credible accounts, in lockstep.

The merchants of this so-called tussle are mostly YouTubers with dubious credentials. Lacking access to any real insider information, they traffic in innuendo to chase clicks and revenue streams.

In Pakistan, false narratives are systematically amplified and monetised via an outrage-driven algorithmic ecosystem. Some of these propagandists have even crossed the line from unethi...