Well, they probably care about your PIC hours in order to get hired but after that, you just fall into the pot as a prospective Captain. I do believe though, that getting 1000 hrs PIC is always a good idea, of course depending on type.
Ek has a priority of upgrades. First off, the F/O's already here who meet the number of successful sims, EK TYPE total hours (can't remember what that is now but around 3000 hrs?) etc. So with our B737 time, that means you have to get the required number of hours on EK type, regardless of your total command hours. Then our OMA states, that 'accelerated' command pilots get the next shot (but that has not happened in the last 4 years, in general), then it states that DEC's will be a last option (which unfortunately has occured even though we had F/O's who fulfilled all the reqmts)
In other words, getting 1000 hrs command on a good type is always smart but it 'probably' won't do you any good here at EK, in regards to a faster upgrade.
My opinion? Get your upgrade and add some PIC hours into your logbook, then start thinking about this ex-pat job. Current upgrade timeframes are.... and anyone feel free to correct me....4.5 years on the Bus and 3.5 on the Boeing. Those numbers will probably increase and reverse in the next two years.
By the way, you are assigned the aicraft type you upon arrival, and quite often it has NO relevance to your previous experience. It's al dependent on the company's needs at the very moment you arrive.
Hope that helps.