Driverless car crashes into police van during test run; Pakistan's 'talent' becomes social media joke

ISLAMABAD: A driverless car lost control and crashed into a police van during a test run in Islamabad, Pakistan. The incident happened while the team was demonstrating technology that allows a remotely controlled car to operate using satellite and internet connectivity. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

The technology was developed by Ehsan Zafar, a computer engineering student and researcher from Abbottabad. The crash occurred during a test run conducted in the presence of a journalist who had arrived to report on the technology.

The car was moving on its own with no one in the driver's seat. It initially travelled normally, but later veered towards a nearby police van and crashed into it.

The video quickly triggered a flood of memes and sarcastic comments on social media. One user joked that the technology was "remarkable" because the car managed to avoid every other vehicle and crash straight into the police van.

Another user joked that the video recording was a blessing, as it would have been hard to convince the police about what happened otherwise. Another sarcastic comment said, “Pakistan clearly has no shortage of talent.”

Pakistan's driverless car demo went exactly as expected... it drove itself straight into a police van. 🚔😂
The reporter then tried to pull the handbrake, forgetting the whole point was that nobody was supposed to drive it. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/AsPdA7koFh

— Sachin Unfiltered (@TheSachinView) September 1, 2026