During the 1947–1948 Kashmir war, Brigadier Hayaud Din fought in the Poonch sector. He led a small group of volunteers, with mobile artillery transported by mules, shelling the airfield at Poonch from the surrounding hills to the point of rendering it unusable. Indian Army garrison forces in the town were preparing to surrender to him when a general cease-fire in all of Kashmir came into effect. For his bravery and successful command of operations, he was recommended by General Sir Douglas Gracey for the equivalent of the British Distinguished Service Order, its 2nd highest gallantry award after the Victoria Cross. As a result, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat, Pakistan's second highest gallantry award.