Thing is, tbh, PAF doesn't need to win, the ideal situation is for the PAF to deter the Indians from starting a war in the first place, heck, this is the same for the whole of the Pak Armed Forces, the goal is to deter, if we can make war costly enough for India, to the point where they decide its not worth it, that in itself is a victory. You also have to think of it in a wider sense. The IAF struggles from crippling pilot shortages, i.e in a scenario of a war, the IAF would not be able to fill every cockpit it has, of course, with attrition this number hugely fluctuates and whatnot.
I also think looking at the past isn't really a fair comparison. This is not the same PAF as it was a few decades ago. Realistically, in a larger sense, the PAF does have a qualitative advantage, they also have the advantage with technologies not very well known to the IAF, i.e dedicated EW platforms. The PAF, with the bulk of its training being NATO is highly proficient in 'smart warfare' where sure, the man plays a part, however, the machine is equally as important. You can argue the PAF's F-16/JF-17 combo, in terms of BVR would be able to handle the bulk of the IAF's fleet. Arguably, the biggest blunder was pursuing foreign platforms and not the Tejas. With the Tejas mk1a, the IAF would have had a very lethal machine, especially with its EL/M-2052 and Derby combo.
The fact is, a 24 ship formation seems to be completely unrealistic tbh. The amount of ordnance in that strike package would be absurd, considering the PAF wanted to launch limited strikes to show their capability, i wouldn't really think they would need that much firepower for what wasn't much more than a show of force. It was an Indian claim that 24/25 aircraft had encroached into their airspace, this could very likely be just bs to save face that "look guys, we were just overwhelmed". Realistically, all we can take away from this is that the PAF employed superior tactics and made effective use of everything they had to complete the kill chain and be able to safely leave the engagement without a single loss. It showed the glaring issues with the IAF and in some way, did them a favour letting them know what gaps they need to close.