International
oi-Gaurav Sharma
A video of a driverless car crashing into a police van during a technology demonstration in Pakistan has gone viral on social media, with speculation about the safety and reliability of remotely operated vehicles.
The accident is said to have happened at D-Chowk, near Pakistan’s Parliament House. Footage in the demonstration shows the vehicle heading forward with no one apparently sitting in the driver’s seat, before suddenly veering towards a parked police van.
A remotely operated driverless car crashed into a police van during a demonstration near Pakistan’s Parliament House due to a reported internet outage causing a technical glitch, resulting in minor damage and no injuries.
Journalist Muhammad Aalijah was apparently sitting in the front passenger seat and recording the demonstration. He can be seen talking about the features of the vehicle before the crash took place.
It is reported to have been controlled remotely via a satellite and internet connection, with an operator outside the vehicle managing its steering and other functions. The demonstration went unexpectedly wrong as the car apparently lost its connection and failed to respond as expected.
Whe fable hits context compaction:
pic.twitter.com/hiEh8kYfqB— Alex Volkov (@altryne) August 31, 2026
Aalijah apparently tried to stop the car by using the handbrake, but it kept going and eventually hit the police van. The crash caused only minor damage, with no injuries.
When speaking to Dawn, Aalijah blamed the incident on an internet outage that caused a technical glitch during the remote operation of the car. He said the demonstration also served to raise awareness of the dangers of adopting new technologies without sufficient trial.
Aalijah says the system was not yet completely reliable, and that a similar malfunction in a busy area would have far more devastating consequences. He argues that technological experimentation should continue, but safety must always be the priority.
As well as sparking renewed debate about autonomous driving technology, the incident is also a reminder that driverless cars are currently being commercially tested or used in countries such as the US and China. Waymo, Tesla, Baidu, Pony.ai and WeRide are all looking to develop much more sophisticated autonomous-driving systems.
