Islamabad Police has clarified that no offence was committed when a driverless car being demonstrated by a university student crashed into a police van during an interview.
The incident had gone viral on social media after a reporter was demonstrating the driverless vehicle.
However, the vehicle suddenly veered towards a police van and collided with it, producing a loud impact. The reporter also attempted to pull the handbrake after the car changed direction.
In a clarification video posted on Tuesday, Islamabad Police SP City Dr Ayaz Hussain said the incident was investigated in detail and no evidence of any offence was found. “The incident resulted from a human error while testing the student’s invention,” he said.
Speaking alongside the student who developed the vehicle, Dr Ayaz said the car was part of a genuine invention being tested by a young Pakistani and described such talent as the country’s future.
He said Islamabad Police encouraged young people engaged in innovation and considered them an important asset and the future of Pakistan.
The student, Ehsan Zafar Abbasi, said he was a resident of Abbottabad and a third-semester Computer Engineering student at COMSATS University Abbottabad.
Ehsan said he had been working in the practical field since around 2018 and had established a laboratory at his home where he carried out practical projects.
He said the vehicle involved in the incident was his project — an internet-controlled, driverless car — and that he had travelled to Islamabad to give an interview about it.
According to Ehsan, the incident occurred when the cameraman asked him to show the mobile phone, which was being used to operate the car, to the camera during the interview.
He said that while preparing to show the mobile on the camera, he accidentally pressed the left key instead of the right key.
Because the wrong key was pressed, the car turned left rather than right and subsequently struck the Islamabad Police vehicle. Ehsan said Islamabad Police had cooperated with him considerably following the incident.
He added that after the video went viral on social media the following day, Islamabad Police contacted him again and examined the system.
The student thanked SP City Dr Ayaz Hussain for understanding how the system worked and for asking questions about both its software and hardware before reaching a conclusion about the incident.
Ehsan said he intended to continue working in the field and further develop his practical skills.
He also expressed his ambition to bring recognition to Pakistan internationally through his work, saying he wanted to work for Pakistan and become an example for other Pakistani youngsters.
