History of Sargodha can be traced back to July 1951, when the disused WW II airfield was first occupied by a PAF Care and Maintenance Party. With this, the first step had been taken and by 16 November 59, all the infrastructure had been completed under the supervision of Wing Commander R D Rollo to make Sargodha ready to receive its First flying squadrons. Group Captain Salahuddin was posted in November 59 as the first commanding officer of PAF Station Sargodha. Over the next five months, by April 60, Nos 5, 11 and 16 Squadrons equipped with F-86F aircraft, had been positioned at this base; they comprised No 33 Wing.

As planned by Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Sargodha developed rapidly to become the most important base in the central region of the country and was geared to undertake the whole range of operational missions. In September 61, No 9 Squadron was also moved to Sargodha from Kohat and reequipped with the newly inducted F-104s, the PAF's first Mach 2 fighters. In the 1965 war, Sargodha proved to be the most important PAF base and played a decisive role in the defence of Pakistan with its spectacular performance under Group Captain Zafar Masud. Soon after that war, Chinese F-6s joined the RAF inventory and again Sargodha base was the first to receive these aircraft. This event was closely followed by yet another induction, the French Mirage-Ill, which replaced 5 Squadron's Sabres.

Adhering to a well conceived layout, Sargodha air base has continully improved with time in both its residential and operational facilities. Sensitive installations are well dispersed and a complex network of several taxi-ways and runways is routinely in operation at the same time. In 1971, the clouds of war gathered over the subcontinent once again and culminated in another conflict between Pakistan and India in December. As in 1965, Sargodha base came through this fierce duel also with flying colours. After the war, Sargodha continued to set the pace of modernization across the entire spectrum of operational, maintenance and logistic disciplines in the air force. One of the most important events during this period was the formation of the Combat Commanders' School in 1976, the successor to PAF's Fighter Leaders' School.

Another exciting chapter was added to the history of Sargodha base when, on 29 January 83, No 11 Squadron became the first to receive the new F-16 Fighting Falcons. In March 84,9 Squadron was also reequipped with F-I 6s and moved to Sargodha. These two Fighting Falcon squadrons together constituted a flying wing which was designated as No 38 Wing on 31 October 84. In the wake of these developments, certain other changes also took place invoking the move of 5 Squadron, 25 OCU and 33 Wing out of Sargodha. On 17 May 86, a 38 Wing aircraft became the first PAF F-16 to score a kill when its pilot shot down an intruding Su-7 fighter of the Afghan Air Force. The air base continues to bristle with activity in several other fields including air defence, logistics and that of the nearby headquarters of PAFs Central Air Command.

Compared with just 1 officer and approximately 25 airmen who manned Sargodha in its embryonic stage, the present strength of the base and its peacetime lodger units is more than impressive. Sargodha also provides administrative support to the pre-Academy PAF College which started as RPAF Public School in 1952 and now performs the role of an inter-service, Cadet training institution; it runs a two year university course for students belonging to the army, navy and air force. Sprawling over several hundred acres of lush green soil, Sargodha air base has excellent technical and domestic accommodation, colleges a schools, a large and well equipped hospltal,sports grounds, a golf course and free hunting facility and a reward - for killing the exceptionally tough wild boars which inhabit the area surrounding the airfield.

Inspiring episodes of sacrifice, patriotism and sense of duty displayed by the men of the base during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Indai have earned the respect and admiration of the entire PAF, the people of Sargodha those and of nearby villages and indeed the whole country. Sargodha is justifiably proud of its natjonwide fame as the City of the Shaheens and is till now, one of only 3 cities of Pakistan to be awarde the Hilal-e-lstiqlal which flutters proudly over the municipal hall. Wartime pilots of this air base have been awarded 2 Hilal-e-Jurats and seven Sitara-e-jurats for intrepidity of the highest order.Taxying out to their different runways each morning for take off, today's young pilots of Sargodha can strongly feel the presence of their departed warrior comrades of long ago who operated from the very same airfield: Sarfraz Rafiqui, Alauddin Ahmed, Muniruddin Yuonis Hussain and others. Then, as if to remind them of their privileged lineage, their eyes catch the simply lettered words on boards along the taxi way: