WATCH | Pakistan journalist films ‘self-driving’ car in Islamabad. What happened next?

A technology demonstration in Islamabad took an unexpected turn when an experimental remotely controlled car lost its connection and crashed into a parked police vehicle, turning a showcase of Pakistani innovation into a viral social media spectacle. Journalist Muhammad Aalijah was documenting the vehicle at D-Chowk, Islamabad, when the car suddenly lost control. Footage from the demonstration shows the vehicle moving forward before its steering appeared to malfunction. Aalijah can also be seen attempting to pull the handbrake, but the vehicle ultimately collided with a police van parked alongside the road.

The demonstration was aimed at showcasing a technology-based automated driving project developed by Abbottabad-based technology enthusiast Ehsan Zafar. Aalijah had been invited to cover Zafar’s innovation and document the demonstration. Speaking to Dawn, Aalijah said the demonstration had been proceeding normally until an internet-related technical issue affected the vehicle. "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.

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According to Aalijah, the vehicle was not a fully autonomous car in the conventional sense. Instead, it was being operated remotely through an internet connection. When the connection was suddenly interrupted, the remote operator lost control of the vehicle. The incident occurred around Islamabad’s D-Chowk, a prominent location near several key government buildings. Videos of the crash quickly circulated on social media platforms, with users turning the unexpected failure into a wave of jokes, memes and viral reactions.

Aalijah later provided additional context about the incident on social media, explaining that the vehicle was being operated using satellite and internet connectivity. "The vehicle was operating via satellite and the internet. However, as soon as the internet connection was disconnected during remote operation, the vehicle went out of control and crashed into a police vehicle," he said.