Chinese have a export ban on J-20 and seems like are not willing to sell J-20 anytime soon. They needs to first make it operational and fill their own ranks. J-31 might be use as a stop-gas but is not what PAF ideally wants. PAF may has asked about F-35 but there is a big question mark on it. Which left PAF with only option to utilise their own resources. Turks are forward looking and may have drop idea to PAF chief that we should jointly start looking toward 5+ technology since US and Russia is already looking into it. Saudis and other GCC countries might chip in with some cash. Turks are getting US second best, the F-35 and Pakistan might end up with some J-31s for a time being, but ultimately both countries and our mid-east friend needs a long time solution and that is developing human resource for produce to own tech.
That's exactly what he is doing, Instead of asking US for the best and then settling for chinese stuff, he is setting a stone to build our own resource so that next 10 to 20 years Pakistanis won't be posting same comment on online forums. This was the job of our civilian bureaucrats and politician to develop industry in country and educated human resource pool, which could have help our defence sector as per demand.
FInally guy with a vision and can realize where the hell world is headed in next 20 to 30 years.