Pakistan’s New Geoscience Labs to Help Tap Its $6 Trillion Mineral Reserves

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has inaugurated the Geoscience Advanced Research Laboratories of the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad. The modernization of GSP’s research infrastructure can help develop Pakistan’s mineral and mining sector, estimated to hold untapped reserves worth over $6 trillion. Officials said the upgraded research facility, certified under ISO standards, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to provide internationally validated data for the mining and exploration industry. According to the GSP, the upgraded laboratories will enable Pakistan to generate mineral data compatible with global mining standards, attracting much-needed foreign investment into the sector. The project modernizes a facility first established in 1999, now revamped after nearly three decades to meet current scientific and industrial demands. The new lab complex will provide credible geological data to mining companies, investors, and financial institutions, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency in project planning and execution. Officials added that the move is meant to unlock the country’s vast mineral potential, including deposits of copper, gold, rare earth elements, and lithium. The Geological Survey of Pakistan has been central to mapping Pakistan’s mineral wealth since 1947, but decades of underfunding and outdated equipment slowed its progress. The ceremony was attended by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, and foreign dignitaries.