God-forbidden, if a war breaks out today, what price would you pay for saving your country? That is the price of these M2K that will quickly put your Air Force if not at par, close to at par with your enemy.
Well, you have hit the nail on the head. It's all about threat perception. Is there a serious enough threat from the Eastern border to justify a brand new "crash" procurement program? Also, are they really the only option we have to build up numbers?
I don't know the answer to that, that is for the PAF to decide. In the long term, however, a UAE Mirage deal offer little but take away a lot of resources. Comparing the Mirage 2000 to the JF-17 is pointless, one is a tried, tested and true platform, the other is a poster-child with loads of potential. If we needed a shot in the arm
right now, Mirages would be justifiable. However, in the long run, I do not believe the number of JF-17s should be lowered or overlooked in any way for a platform with limited life left. Remember, India acquiring some sort of Fifth Generation aircraft tech by 2025 is very much a possibility, should we overlook that to achieve parity now?
If what
notorious_eagle has reported above is correct, then it seems the PAF is thinking along the same lines as I am. This points that the PAF doesn't believe the threat from the IAF is real enough in the short term. Had the Mirages been made available five years ago, when our best bet seemed the F-7PG, it would have been welcomed with open arms. However, as with the RQ-7 Shadow drone offer from the United States, it seems "too little, too late".
And in any case, if hostilities with India became imminent today, there would be contingency plans in place. We might see PLAAF J-10As and UAEAF Mirage-2000s flying in Pakistani airspace in such an event.