[4][5][6] The No.23 Squadron was raised on 16 March 1961 at PAF Base Kohat equipped with Hawker Fury aircraft and was tasked with providing close air support for the army along with anti-locust operations.

[2][7] In May 1961 the Squadron participated in bombing strikes in the Bajaur & Dir areas during operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

From May 21 to 24 and on 31 May 1961, the squadron flew close air support missions during which the pilots used the Hawker Fury's 60 lb bombs and 20 mm cannons to destroy various targets in the Bajaur valley.

[2][7] On 4 December 1971 during a dogfight near Faisalabad, Flight Lieutenant Javed Latif shot down an Indian Su-7 (IAF Pilot "Harvinder Singh" from No.

On 8 December, the OC 23 Squadron Wing Commander Manzoor Hashmi shot down an IAF Su-7 with a Sidewinder missile over the village of Khalsapur.

The squadron lost one Shenyang F-6 flown by Flight lieutenant Afzal Siddiqui who was accidentally shot down by Wing Commander Manzoor while they were chasing an Indian Su-7.

During their time at Masroor, the squadron also participated in the "Exercise Gold Coin-II" where it performed low level air defence missions.