In 2000 SLMC leader M. H. M. Ashraff was to going to suspend Hizbullah from the party but in September 2000 Ashraff was killed.[9] In the ensuing power struggle Hizbullah tried unsuccessfully to gain the leadership of the SLMC.[10]Rauff Hakeem became leader of the SLMC whilst Hizbullah became deputy leader of the National Unity Alliance which was led by Ashraff's widow Ferial Ashraff.[11][12]
Between 2004 and 2005 Hizbullah was chairman of the state owned Airport and Aviation Services Limited during which time he and his wife Sithy Rameeza Sahabdeen are alleged to have defrauded Rs 67.5 million from the company.[16] Hizbullah defected back to the SLMC in 2005 before defecting again, in 2008, to the All Ceylon Muslim Congress, a constituent of the UPFA.[17][18]
Hizbullah contested the 2008 provincial council election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Batticaloa District and was elected to the Eastern Provincial Council.[19] Hizbullah had wanted to be Chief Minister but the UPFA made Pillayan (S. Chandrakanthan) chief minister.[20][21] He was instead appointed Minister for Health and Indigenous Medicine, Social Welfare, Probation and Childcare Services, Women's Affairs, Youth Affairs, Sports, Information Technology Education, Co-operative Development, Food Supply and Distribution.[22]
Hizbullah contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Batticaloa District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[23] Following the election he was appointed Deputy Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs.[24] In January 2013 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economic Development.[3][25]
Hizbullah's party, the ACMC, left the UPFA in December 2014 to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential election.[26] Hizbullah chose to remain with the UPFA and support its leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in the election.[27] Hizbullah was one of the UPFA's candidates in Batticaloa District at the 2015 parliamentary election but the UPFA failed to win any seats in the district.[28][29] However, after the election he was appointed as a UPFA National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament.[30][31] He was sworn in as State Minister of Resettlement and Rehabilitation on 9 September 2015.[32][33]
