Islamabad, 17 October 2025(Kamran Raja): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated the upgraded Geoscience Advanced Research Laboratories (GARL) of the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), marking a major milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s mineral research and exploration capabilities.
The ceremony was attended by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), along with Federal Ministers and distinguished foreign dignitaries, underscoring the government’s commitment to developing the country’s mineral sector as a driver of sustainable economic growth.
Originally established in 1991, the GARL facility in Chak Shehzad, Islamabad, has undergone comprehensive modernization and upgradation to meet international standards. The revitalized complex now holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, certifying its technical competence for testing and calibration according to globally recognized benchmarks.
This accreditation enables the laboratory to generate internationally recognized analytical data essential for reserve estimation in compliance with JORC and NI 43-101 reporting standards, both widely used by global mining and exploration companies.
Officials from the Geological Survey of Pakistan emphasized that the modernization of GARL is a key step toward attracting foreign and domestic investment in Pakistan’s mineral sector by providing reliable, certified data required by international mining companies and financial institutions.
Building on a legacy of over three decades, the upgraded GARL is now positioned as a state-of-the-art research hub equipped to meet the evolving demands of modern mineral sector development and to support the government’s vision of sustainable resource utilization.