KABUL - Members of the Afghan House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the government and security institutions to break the silence and take urgent steps to secure the safe release of 31 bus passengers taken hostage in February.

MPs criticized the government's lack of action and pledged to summon security officials in the house to investigate the situation and reveal the fate of the hostages. They said that President Ashraf Ghani had told them in a meeting that he did not know the whereabouts of the hostages.

"This isn't a strategic silence, but a deadly silence," MP Syed Bahr said.

"Ignoring this issue could lead to the emergence of a new crisis in the country and by then it would be difficult to deal with," Bamian MP Safoora Elkhani said.

MPs have warned that if the government does not crackdown on kidnappings, new issues will emerge in the country and the outcome could be catastrophic.

"Two days ago, a group of 16 trusted MPs held a meeting with the president. In the meeting the president confirmed that he did not know the whereabouts of the hostages," MP Fakoor Behishti said.

"It is very unfortunate that so far the government hasn't been able to trace the exact place where the hostages are being kept," Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said.

"I recommend that the honorable MPs use parliamentary resources and abstain from voting for ministerial nominees until the fate of the 31 hostages is known," MP Abdul Qayoum Sajjadi said.

Almost 50 days have passed since armed men kidnapped the 31 passengers who were traveling by bus along the Kabul-Kandahar highway. Following that incident, gunmen kidnapped a further 13 passengers in Balkh and Sar-e-Pul provinces. (Tolonews)