PakDef's H Khan told DefenseNews the same thing (the Air Assault Division article). Personally I think the development of proper Air Assault capability is simply a part of the greater focus on asymetrical warfare to neutralize problems taking place in our Western front. It is an excellent investment as it allows us to effectively fight foreign interference during peace-time, but also have that fairly autonomous capability to deal with internal insurgencies during a war with India (remember E.Pakistan).
I think the Air Assault component will increase in size and scope with time; the initial immediate need can be covered by used Chinook, used Cobras and commercially available Bell-412s & 407s. However in the long-term we may look at the new Chinese heavy-lift helicopter (
Link). Or perhaps if we're fortunate, we'll have neutral business relations with the Americans and simply procure more Chinooks on a commercial basis.
Nonetheless I think for the attack, light-medium and light roles we may see a different type of focus in Pakistan. In the area of light helicopters I think there is a lot of potential for local production. There are a ton of commercial/civilian requirements as well as fairly big ones within the military. We might buy a simple off the shelf design from China or Europe...or perhaps develop one like India.
The light-medium role filled by the Bell-412 is a bit more complicated. If we're to see huge aviation expansions, then I can see this type being built in Pakistan. Modern options include the Chinese Z-15 and the AW149 IMO...reasonable costs and if military & civilian requirements cross 100, I can see us license producing locally.
The attack helicopter is a wild card IMO. H Khan in the past said that PA wanted 100 attack helicopters in total, and I think we may see some other requirements pop up in the Frontier Corps and Marines. So the NAH would be a good prospect for a local industry.