FAISALABAD - A delegation of Kashmiri leaders on Wednesday said that Ramazan was being observed with religious zeal and enthusiasm everywhere but Indian Occupied Kashmir seemed to have been exempted from such exuberance at Faisalabad Press Clubs Hamid Nizami Hall. They said that the Valleys streets even in the holy month wear a desolate look in the mornings and evenings. They said that as per the demand of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that like other Muslim countries in the world, Ramazan must appear different in Kashmir as well. They apprehended that Mirwaz made a passionate appeal to the traders federation in Kashmir and also the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce to ensure that the markets in the Valley remain open and illuminated in the evenings. We are whole-heartedly ready to lend support to this by making sure that the Jamia Masjid markets remain open till late evenings, they quoted Umar as saying. Not only shops must remain opened, our mosques and other religious institutions should remain abuzz with activity. They said that everyone must play an active role in infusing a fresh lease of life in the markets and religious places in Kashmir. They added that one can easily understand that in the past 20 years or so, the sense of fear and insecurity prevailed among people but now they should be vibrant, they added. Meanwhile, an observer of Kashmir, Naeem Akhtar, said there was a difference between Ramazan in Kashmir and other parts of the world. Ramazan elsewhere is a month of festivity, pride and assertion of a bondage that is based on shared values of Islam. Even in the Muslim cultural centres of the sub-continent like Old Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Kolkatta, Peshawar, the month presents a picture entirely different from the one that comes across in Srinagar, he said. A number of web portals revealed the mood and festivity in different parts of the world during Ramazan. Ramadan arrives in Bangladesh with serenity, sanctity, festivity and philanthropy. Overflowing mosques with Muslims with illuminated and ornamented shopping malls and markets, and festive villages make this month a symbol of blessing by Allah. says a web portal. It adds: Many organisations also organise Tafsir Mahfils and other such programmes in order to spread the teachings of the Holy Book. The festivity of Ramazan touches the lives of people living even in the remote villages. Their festival starts from the sighting of the moon that indicates the beginning of the holy month. People gather under the open sky to see the moon. They chant slogans like 'Allahu Akber meaning Allah is Great after the moon is sighted. Young people and boys take the responsibility of waking up the villagers so that they can take their Saheri. In Sharjah, the annual Ramazan Festival has already begun.To make the event successful, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has lined up a number of promotional programmes and activities in the shopping malls and markets in the Emirate. The streets, public squares and roundabouts in various parts of Sharjah have been decorated with lights, according to Khaleej Times. The festival, with its social, cultural and religious events organised in collaboration with the government sectors, has proved to be the right initiative in stimulating commercial activity. Interestingly, people in Kashmir endorse the Mirwaizs view that the conflict in Kashmir has cast its shadow on vibrancy among people. There was a time when people would not venture out of their homes in the evening for security reasons, says Aamir Manzoor, a student of Kashmir University. But today the situation is a little different and the government also has a responsibility to give sense of security to the people and traders.