Agreed. They could have got 2 sqdrns of F15's even, the answer to our current requirements and we would've been sitting pretty just by having 24 or 36 of the best air superiority fighters as well as attack aircraft.
The problem was lack of realization that US was more than willing to give us more than a few goodies for cooperation on Afghanistan.
We have the luxury of talking retrospectively but at the same time it was criminally negligent of the Top brass to not just push it's bucket under the faucet when it mattered but also at least, "ask" US to "spin" it open.
That is the point, I think, that even the Chinese realized what's sitting next door to them and must have kicked themselves for not realizing the potential, looking at all those coalition supply trucks going through Pakistan virtually for free, hence CPEC.
Those F15s would've still sent jitters down our neighbours spine for decades with double or quadruple the number of Rafael.
I know, I would be ridiculed for thinking F15s but India would never be to US what Israel is and yet we see Arabs and Turks playing with close to cutting-edge US tech. It is all about playing your hand smartly enough.