Mother's anger at Foreign Office

Mrs Akhtar lost two of her children

A woman who lost two of her children in a suspected arson attack in Pakistan has criticised the UK Foreign Office for not doing enough to help her.

Asma Akhtar, 28, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had been involved a two-year custody battle over the children.

Now in Britain with her two surviving children, Mrs Akhtar accused the Foreign Office of refusing to issue her children with replacement passports.

The Foreign Office said it had raised her case with the Pakistani Government.

"If they had listened to me, I wouldn't have lost two of my beautiful children," she said.

The Foreign Office refused to issue new passports in July 2007, after the children's father allegedly took the originals from them, said Mrs Akhtar.

Suspected arson

Mrs Akhtar's six-year-old son Ali, and daughter Hajrah, five, were killed in the fire in October 2008.

Hajrah and Ali Akhtar were killed in a suspected arson attack.

"My arm was on fire, and one of my children was clinging on to me. The others were so frightened, they must have let go," she said.

It was only after their deaths the Foreign Office issued the rest of the family with passports.

The family finally returned to the UK earlier this month.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "This was a tragic case and we offer our sincere condolences to Mrs Akhtar.

"The welfare of Mrs Akhtar and her children was a priority for the FCO and we raised her case with the Pakistani Government."

There is a protocol between the UK and Pakistan relating to child custody cases.

However, Mrs Akhtar's MP Paul Rowen said changes were needed.

"We need a joint meeting of the chief justice in Pakistan and the lord chief justice for the UK to make sure this protocol protects young women and their children when there's a dispute on child custody," he said.