We have to take this info with a pinch of salt, and I'm sure all the members that have been on this forum or following it from the time frame of 07/08 know first hand, that while some insider information may very well be accurate, however with the continuous change in internal and external environment, plans can and do change.
The biggest example being the FC-20 saga, where there were very strong indications to the point where our defence minister was discussing the acquisition. It all started with some insider info and blew up over the years and today here we stand with no FC-20 in the PAF. I remember back in 2010 I made a trip to KSA and due to some coincidence ended up meeting with a PAF aeronautical engineer. At this point the news of FC-20 was big and the FC-20 thread was probably the second most active thread in the PAF section. I asked him about the FC-20, and he gave what seemed to be " we're not really that interested" kind of vibe regarding the topic.
The point being, the insider information that we end up hearing about from well placed sources is just a snippet of what the PAF is thinking at a specific period of time under specific conditions and with such a dynamic environment, plans CAN change.
To get the big picture we would need to analyze the environment, what changes are expected in said environment, and what steps we can take to manage the effects of the change that is brought in to the said environment. The most imminent change is the arrival of Rafale. With the new F-16 blk 52's becoming a more distant option, the plans are now to go for Ex-RJAF falcons and probably upgrading them with Turkey. Meanwhile we continue to slowly and steadily work on the JFT and making it more potent. While our newer members are much more hyped about the upgrades in blk-III, and bummed that block II doesn't have what was reported by some sources -- the real "difference maker" in my opinion would be the integration of the more potent weapons coming out of China and South Africa (Denel) -- Suddenly you would have an airforce with around a 100-120 mainstay platforms that can use 5th gen WVRAAM's and and highly advanced BVRAAM's in an environment where the enemy is at close proximity and the normal advantages that heavies have against light weights are negotiated to a degree ... not to mention the falcon in numbers that we are looking for would be a factor as well ... By 2020 we are looking at a decent modernized & potent PAF, even if a new platform is not inducted.
The factors that will sway us to have a new platform is the threat perception of the IAF with the addition of rafale, and the time frame when J-31 will become available. If the J-31 is perceived to become available for export somewhere like post 2025, then there would be a very strong case to go for a high end aircraft. If it becomes available around 2020-2024, then there is the case for going directly towards a 5th gen. The info given by the Haris Khan seems to suggest that J-31 is a bit more distant then what we thought to be, therefore the effort is to go towards a 4.5 gen aircraft that can negotiate what the environment will be in the next half a decade. Or there may also be a possibility of putting pressure on the U.S to give us the original deal along with more block-52's by demonstrating that " we have other options as well" -- Now if we take this information on face value ... the question becomes of which platform is under consideration ... The Euoropean options will be quite expensive, hence the probability of getting a EF-2000 or Rafale is not that high. Gripen isn't needed at all since JFT is in service. Any jet from the U.S except second hand F-16's from other operators seems like a dream at this point. The only suppliers left are either China or Russia. Hence most likely it will be a flanker from either Russia or China that might join PAF ranks if the information revealed is accurate...