The article isn't the best. It isn't detailed either. Pakistan's answer to any and all Indian acquisition seem to be JF-17 Block 3. That in itself isnt assuring for Pakistan.
While Pakistan doesn't have any other option (due to technological and financial constraints) it would be wise to create a technological base with Assistance from Turkey and other countries (maybe with some string pulling by China and Turkey).
Short term, one can only hope to improve the EW, Sensor suite aboard JF-17 and hope that AWACS-JF17 combo along with F-16 deters India from any adventures.
To be quite honest, all that may even be enough to deter India because even with 36 Rafales working well with the rest of IAF, the PAF isn't that far behind. The numbers was an issue and the low cost barriers for JF-17 helped offset the differences better than any other option PAF had. The biggest worry for PAF has been and still is the quantitative gap. While the JF-17 helps/helped, the IAF is still much better funded and has more MKIs than the PAF has JF-17s. What PAF has and is able to use may still be enough to counter the IAF effectively.
2019 showed the IAF's MKI and its numbers superiority did not translate into a decisive victory. The MKI and its missiles were not devastatingly effective at all and the IAF was slow and chaotic in its reaction. They may not stay dormant so the PAF shouldn't either but one is busy spending money it doesn't have on foreign imports with no hope of ever assimilating or making use of those imported technologies or even upgrading them without spending more fortunes, the other has proven resourceful with what it has and frugally weighing up options presumably with the support and interest of China to secure its ability to counter the Indians.
One can be assured that Pakistan and China are communicating and sharing plans. Long term acquisition most likely will involve J-35s for PAF, well before India gets its hands on a Russian, American, Asian or European 5th gen fighter. I'm not going to consider the AMCA, a 2D project until well after the 2030s. Flying prototype before 2030 my ass. They still haven't completed their carrier or their MK>1 Tejas or their Visak destroyer for years and years and years on the production lines and decades on paper. How is this to change while Indian industry is rapidly falling behind relative to the ones accelerating? If anything a 5th gen challenge will take even longer. Rafale induction really doesn't need to be sending the PAF into some blind spending spree or rush to "achieve parity" but they're free to do as they see fit.
JF-17 block 3 with AESA and PL-15 (assuming this gets integrated) will be quite the balance if the PAF manage to induct more than the IAF get Rafales within a similar time frame.
