Born in village Sanghori, district Rawalpindi, in 1910, Captain Sarwar was commissioned into the Punjab Regiment in 1944. While serving as Company Commander in the 2nd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment during the Kashmir Operations he launched an attack, on July 27, 1948, against a strongly fortified enemy position in the Uri Sector. When his company was within fifty yards of the enemy, it came under heavy machine-gun, grenade and mortar fire, causing heavy casualties and frustrating their advance. Displaying remarkable courage and leadership, Captain Sarwar led a platoon in a flanking movement to within twenty yards of the enemy bunkers. ۔

Here he was obstructed by barbed wire. Undaunted by the obstacle, he moved the rest of the company forward, silencing the enemy machine-guns with grenades. Undeterred by volley after volley of enemy bullets, although he had already been hit in the right shoulder, he took over a Bren gun of his platoon, after its gunman was killed, and continued firing into the enemy concentration. He then moved forward with six of his men to cut the barbed wire when a burst of automatic fire riddled his chest and he fell. Captain Sarwar Shaheed thus became the first soldier to be awarded .Pakistan's highest gallantry award of Nishan-e-Haider