Watch: Driverless car crashes into police van in Pakistan
What's the story
A driverless car demonstration in Islamabad went horribly wrong when the vehicle lost internet connection and crashed into a parked police van. The incident, which was captured on video by journalist Muhammad Aalijah, has since gone viral on social media. The demonstration was meant to showcase an automated driving system developed by Abbottabad-based tech enthusiast Ehsan Zafar.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the video
This was interesting, though i appreciate the effort. pic.twitter.com/VVFeg4cji5
— Syed Sammer Abbas (سید ثمر عباس) (@SammerAbbas) August 31, 2026
Control
Remotely controlled via the internet
The vehicle was being remotely controlled via the internet when a sudden loss of connectivity led to a steering malfunction.
The footage shows Aalijah in the front passenger seat, explaining the vehicle's features as it drives down the road.
Suddenly, the remotely controlled steering wheel loses control, steering toward a police van parked nearby.
Despite his efforts to pull the handbrake and stop it, the car crashes into the police vehicle.
Technical fault
Crash caused by technical fault
Aalijah, who was invited to report on Zafar's tech-based automated-driving system, attributed the crash to a "technical fault" caused by an internet disruption.
He said everything was fine until this issue occurred, leading the car to lose control and crash into a police vehicle.
The journalist clarified that the vehicle wasn't operating as a fully autonomous car but was being remotely controlled via an internet connection.
Response
Incident took place in Islamabad's D-Chowk
The incident took place in Islamabad's D-Chowk, a high-security area with relatively light traffic. This limited the potential consequences of the malfunction but could have been much worse on a busy road.
The footage quickly went viral, with social media users turning the failed demonstration into memes and jokes.
Actor Ranvir Shorey even joined in on the fun, sharing the video and dubbing it "Presenting Pakistan's answer to the self-driving Tesla: The Masla."
Clarification
What did Aalijah say?
In a later clarification, Aalijah said he didn't mean to "defame or target this young man."
He described the video as an effort to raise awareness and urge caution around emerging technology until it had been sufficiently tested and proven safe.
Despite his good intentions, the video quickly became meme material, with social media users poking fun at the unexpected collision.