I think PIA's main strategy should be hub and spoke - making sure Pak is connected to the world outside meaningfully. This can easily be done by having low cost and frequent flights to Dubai / Istanbul / Qatar / Singapore. Particularly Dubai. If from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar you can get frequent low cost flights, Pakistan would become easily accessible to the world.
Instead PIA was trying to do a wunder trip direct to NY... cost it an arm and leg and lost out in the end anyways. Stupid is what stupid does.
Perhaps IK can propose a combined deal thus:
1. 8x Block 72 (to get the toe in the door)
2. 16x MLU
3. Permission to purchase (written not verbal) to purchase used F-16s from third countries
4. 6x C-130s second hand
5. Various other equipment
Together for a 3-4 billion dollar deal. Trump has a love of making big deals. It will be hard for him to say no to that, he is running the presidency like his tv show. He will have something to harp about "look I brought 3-4 billion dollars to America"
Speaking to the mood here in the US, Boeing is in deep trouble on the consumer market. Their 737 MAX series is going to stay grounded here for a while and now it looks like some of their older (and perceived more reliable) 737NGs have a problem with the wings that need to get fixed. Boeing is also facing workmanship concerns at their Charleston 787 plant (the New York Times reported a couple of months ago that their workers were leaving tools and equipment in the planes upon turnover to airlines, etc.). Most of their customers are refusing 787s if they aren't built in their original plant at Renton, Washington. A deal on 788s would certainly help Boeing right now, but IK and co should drive a hard bargain on the price.
As far as PIA is concerned my view is that they need to focus primarily on flights to the Persian Gulf, UK, and China. The gulf will have lots of people shuttling back and forth for short-haul business trips and leisure, the UK can be used for leisure and business travel, and China has a lot of potential with business travel that I doubt has been exploited yet.
New York is a little bit of a waste of time. You're having to compete with the ME3 on those routes, and PIA's quality is well below them. Now if the culture at PIA changes significantly, I could see them competing, but the ME3 will always be able to charge less on those routes. I would rather them use ISB or even LHR as an access to eco-tourism from Europe to northern Pakistan. Tanzania has done the same with KLM and similar to Kilimanjaro International. Using 787s in this scenario would make a lot more sense.
As far as the military deal goes, I'm not sold that Trump would make that deal. Pakistan doesn't have many friends in DC right now and there are those who would probably block it out of pure spite for Trump. It also shuts the door on India buying the F-21 because I think Modi would be rather outraged that the US allowed sales to their chief rival in the region. Unfortunately India carries more weight in world circles these days.