Lawmakers in the National Assembly on Wednesday strongly advocated making a five-year increase in the upper age limit for appointments in federal government departments to accommodate those youngsters who could not get jobs during the tenure of the past government. Speaking on a Calling Attention Notice they jointly moved, the MNAs including Shamim Ara Panhwar, Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani, Shagufta Jumani, Aliya Kamra and Ali Gohar Khan asked to increase the upper age limit as almost all provinces had increased it. They wanted an increase in the upper age limit from 30 to 35 years for appointments in the federal government departments. Responding to their queries, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi opposed the suggestion, saying that it would reduce the employment opportunities for young graduates and curtail the service period for employees if inducted on the proposed increase in the age limit. As per the existing criteria, he said the age limit for grade 1-15 jobs was 18-25 years and its upper limit had already been increased to 30-year, while for grade 16-21 it was 55-year. The President and Prime Minister have the discretionary power to give a further relaxation of up to three years on case to case basis, he added. After hearing the arguments from the movers and the ministers, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf referred the matter to the standing committee concerned for further deliberation.