PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Station Sargodha and 'PAF Base Sargodha), IATA: MSF, ICAO: OPMH), is a Pakistan Air Force airbase situated at Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" (MOB) by the PAF.[1]
It was known as PAF Base Sargodha until 2003, when it was renamed in honour of the former Base Commander and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief MarshalMushaf Ali Mir, whose aircraft crashed on a routine flight near Kohat in February 2003.[2][3]
The PAF's Central Air Command (CAC), the Combat Commanders' School (CCS), and the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence (PAF ACE) are based at PAF Base Mushaf, PAF Base Mushaf is the most elite and widely operational base in Pakistan, consisting of the highest equipped aircraft and squadrons and the best trained pilots and commanders.
History
PAF Base Mushaf was originally established as an airstrip by the Royal Air Force during the 1930s. After World War II, the airstrip was apart of the Sargodha Satellite Fields, and was known as Sargodha (Main). In 1959, the airstrip was commissioned as PAF Base Sargodha. [4]
Incidents
On 1 November 2007, a suicide bomber struck the 50-seat bus carrying PAF officers to nearby Kirana Ammunition Depot, killing 11 people (including 7 officers) and injuring 28. The bombing took place on Faisalabad Road, where a motorcycle loaded with explosives rammed the bus and triggered the blast. All the officers were new recruits posted to PAFB Mushaf for training.[5]
This was the last major attack before the 2007 state of emergency was imposed on the country.
