Remote-controlled “driverless” car crashes into police van after internet fault in Islamabad

A demonstration of an alleged self-driving car in Pakistan took an unexpected and rather embarrassing turn when the vehicle veered off course and crashed into a parked police van.The incident, involving Pakistani journalist Muhammad Aalijah, has since attracted widespread attention online after a video of the demonstration began circulating on X.‘No shortage of talent in Pakistan’In the video, Aalijah can be seen sitting in the passenger seat while the vehicle moves along a road without anyone apparently sitting behind the steering wheel.As he addresses the camera, the journalist presents the vehicle as an example of automated-driving technology, appearing confident that the car is successfully navigating the road on its own.“As you can tell, there's no shortage of talent in Pakistan,” he confidently said.Pakistani man showcases FUTURE OF SELF-DRIVING CARS as car DRIVES ITSELF INTO POLICE CAR pic.twitter.com/eBbWQPu6MR— RT (@RT_com) September 1, 2026 For several seconds, everything seems to be going according to plan. The car maintains its movement along the road while Aalijah remains in the passenger seat, allowing the demonstration to continue without an obvious driver intervention.But the impressive-looking showcase quickly became a crash test of a very different kind.Car suddenly heads for Police vanWithout warning, the steering wheel turns toward the side of the road. Rather than correcting its path, the vehicle continues toward a parked police van.The car eventually slams into the stationary police vehicle, ending the demonstration almost as quickly as it had begun.The unexpected collision gave the video an ironic twist, particularly because it happened shortly after Aalijah's confident remarks about Pakistan's technological talent.Clearly, Pakistan is not short of talent! A reporter tried to demonstrate a driverless car only for it to crash straight into a police van. He even tried to pull the handbrake! pic.twitter.com/hJl1lw38Vx— برهان الدین ‏| Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) August 31, 2026 Aalijah blames internet disruptionAalijah later explained the incident to Dawn, saying he had been asked by Abbottabad-based technology enthusiast Ehsan Zafar to report on his automated-driving project.According to Aalijah, the vehicle had been functioning normally before a technical problem affected the demonstration.“Everything was fine until a technical fault occurred due to an internet disruption, causing the car to go out of control and crash into a police vehicle,” he said.His explanation has added another layer to the online discussion, with viewers debating whether the incident demonstrates the challenges involved in developing reliable autonomous-driving technology.Ranvir Shorey adds to the ironyThe clip received another boost after Indian actor Ranvir Shorey shared it on X.Presenting Pakistan’s answer to the self driving @Tesla: The Masla. pic.twitter.com/b5I63UYiEk— Ranvir Shorey (@RanvirShorey) August 31, 2026 Shorey appeared to poke fun at the mishap, writing: “Presenting Pakistan’s answer to the self driving Tesla: The Masla.”The word “masla,” which means “problem” in Urdu and Hindi, quickly became the punchline of the incident.While Tesla has become closely associated with advanced driver-assistance and automated-driving features, the vehicle shown in the viral clip clearly did not deliver the smooth demonstration its presenter had hoped for.Watch out Elon Pakistan has invented its own full self drive pic.twitter.com/eTBEz0XT5k— Star Girl (@StarGirlonFire7) August 31, 2026 Clearly, Pakistan is not short of talent! A reporter tried to demonstrate a driverless car only for it to crash straight into a police van. He even tried to pull the handbrake! pic.twitter.com/hJl1lw38Vx— برهان الدین ‏| Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) August 31, 2026 Social media reacts to the unusual crashAs the footage spread, social media users turned the viral video into a series of hilarious memes. Some commenters imagined the reaction of the police officer upon finding that the vehicle had apparently been moving without a person behind the wheel.Others took a less mocking approach, pointing out that technology experiments can fail and arguing that young innovators should not necessarily be discouraged because a public demonstration went wrong.

A video clip went viral on social media after a remote-controlled car crashed into a police van in Islamabad, reportedly due to a “technical fault” caused by an internet disruption. On Sunday, journalist Muhammad Aalijah uploaded a video on his official social media account showing him seated in the front passenger seat of a car at Islamabad’s D-Chowk, which appeared to be operated using a remote-control device. As Aalijah explains the car’s features and it moves forward, the steering wheel, controlled remotely by an operator, suddenly goes out of control. The car consequently bumps into a police van parked along the road. The video also shows Aalijah pulling the handbrake in an attempt to prevent the car from hitting the police van, but his efforts prove futile. Since being uploaded, the video has been widely circulated on social media, with users adding witty captions to the footage. When contacted, Aalijah told Dawn that he had been asked by technology enthusiast Ehsan Zafar of Abbottabad to report on his tech-based automated-driving innovation. “Everything was fine until a technical fault occurred due to an internet disruption, causing the car to go out of control and crash into a police vehicle,” he said. Aalijah explained that the car was controlled remotely over the internet and that a sudden loss of connection caused it to go out of control. In a social media post on Monday, Aalijah said his intention in making the video was “never to defame or target this young man”, who owned and operated the car. “The sole purpose was to raise awareness and urge people to remain cautious until any new experiment or technology has been thoroughly tested, proven safe and established as a complete success,” he said. “This was a message of caution, not an attempt to discredit anyone.” Sharing the video online, Aalijah said the car’s system was not yet “completely safe and reliable”. “The vehicle was being operated through satellite and internet connections, but during external control, it went out of control as soon as the internet connection was disconnected and collided with a police vehicle,” he wrote. The incident occurred in a high-security area with very little traffic. “If the same situation had occurred on a busy road, the consequences could have been extremely dangerous, even fatal,” he said. “This video is not criticism; it is a responsible effort to raise awareness and issue a warning — by all means, experiment, but ensure safety first,” he added. Self-driving memes come to a life of their own Meanwhile, the netizens are sharing his video, with some of them appreciating the journalist’s effort to promote the local talent, while others are coming up with amusing remarks. “Certainly, there is no shortage of talent in Pakistan,” a user quoted Aalijah while taking a jibe. An internet user added that even the AI panics in Pakistan when it sees the cops. Another user advised the car’s owner and tech innovator of not to give up. “Funny for some, maybe, but I see a great effort. It failed today; yes, hiccups happen, but I know this young Pakistani will one day have a perfect solution.” Noticing the huge public attention, a user called the video clip potent enough to become the next “international meme”.