I think you are referring to their indigenous KFX programme while this article is talking about their plan to buy 60 fighters (F-15SE/F-35/Typhoon) off the shelf. The KFX is expected to leverage off technology from their deal.
While cost would have been a factor, I think the need to aggressively pursue technology transfer was one of the main reasons for dropping the stealth requirements. The cost/timeline concerns over the F-35 would have also come into play.
Oh. Thanks for explaining that. I had totally missed it.