Investor Shankar Sharma has stirred a sharp debate on social media, this time blending geopolitics, markets and national sentiment in a strongly worded post reacting to a potential peace initiative involving Pakistan.
In a tweet that quickly gained traction, Shankar Sharma, founder of GQuant Investech, said, “I desperately hope alongwith with the rest of India that the Pak-led peace initiative fails.” He went on to frame the issue not in economic but emotional terms, arguing that while India has historically endured severe economic stress, certain symbolic outcomes may be harder to accept.
“We can tolerate anything: 300 dollar oil, Sensex at 30k, inflation at 19%, INR at 130. But we can’t tolerate the ignominy of seeing the most historic peace Accord EVER called ‘The Islamabad Accord’,” Sharma said, adding a cultural reference to underline sentiment around national identity.
Iran and the United States have received a proposal aimed at ending hostilities that could potentially come into effect as early as Monday and pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The source said Pakistan has put together a framework for de-escalation, which was shared with both Tehran and Washington overnight. The proposal outlines a two-stage approach, beginning with an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations toward a broader and more comprehensive agreement.
Earlier, Axios had reported that the United States, Iran and regional mediators were exploring the possibility of a 45-day ceasefire as part of a phased deal that could eventually lead to a permanent resolution of the conflict, citing US, Israeli and regional officials.
Under the proposed plan, hostilities would halt immediately, allowing the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, while a 15–20 day window would be used to finalise the contours of a wider settlement. The framework, tentatively referred to as the “Islamabad Accord,” is expected to include a regional mechanism governing the strait, with final in-person negotiations likely to take place in Islamabad.
More stock market correction needed
Even though Nifty 50 has declined 10% since the US-Iran war began, the veteran investor believes India may need a long and painful market correction before it can achieve more meaningful and sustainable economic growth.
In an earlier post on X, the veteran investor wrote on X, ” Looking at the remarkable success of Iran’s tech in missiles, drones, infrared tracking etc, I am convinced it’s because they don’t have a stock market. Their engineers build real products instead of food & lipstick apps for 500x PE.
India’s real teji will start when India has a 5-10 year bear market, and people go back to building real businesses instead of the fluff that gets billions of dollars of market cap these days.”
In the post, Sharma appeared to argue that countries forced to prioritise engineering and strategic capabilities often end up creating more durable technological strengths. Drawing a contrast with India’s startup and market ecosystem, he suggested that the absence of speculative capital and valuation-driven incentives may have helped channel talent in some countries towards sectors such as defence systems, advanced electronics and industrial technology.
Sharma further implied that a prolonged bear market lasting five to ten years could act as a reset for the Indian economy and capital markets by forcing both capital and skilled talent to move away from short-term valuation plays and towards more productive sectors.
He suggested that such a correction phase could ultimately help redirect entrepreneurial energy into areas such as semiconductors, defence technology, industrial innovation, electronics and other businesses with stronger real-world utility and long-term strategic value.
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