IMO there's no Pakistani posturing. It's a lot simpler than that ... in 2016, IHS Jane's said the PAF had a requirement of 30-40 twin-engine fighters for deep-strike and to shore-up its maritime operations assets.
The mainstay - esp. in the strike-role - are the 50-60-year old Mirage ROSE. They're fine assets, but they're old and aren't getting cheaper to keep them in the air, especially at the level that's likely required to sustain frequent strikes w/SOWs and ALCMs.
Ultimately, this will be resolved with Project Azm/FGF, but realistically, it is far from a near-term factor. So the PAF will need to induct something through the 2020s to take the load off the Mirages.