he was accused of creating jobs for Muslims at state-owned institutions under his control and giving priority to Muslim areas when it came to rehabilitation projects. Ashraff often got into disputes with fellow Muslim minister A. H. M. Fowzie which resulted in Ashraff threatening to resign. Ashraff, who was supreme "Thalaiver" (leader) of the SLMC, dealt harshly with dissension in the party. At the time of his death three SLMC MPs had been suspended from the party by Ashraff. By 2000 relations between the SLMC and PA had become strained. Earlier, in 1999, Ashraff had founded the National Unity Alliance (NUA) with the aim of creating a "united Sri Lanka by 2012". Ashraff resigned from the government on 22 August 2000, stating that he was severing all ties with the PA and that the SLMC would contest the 2000 parliamentary election on its own, and left for pilgrimage to Mecca but President Chandrika Kumaratunga refused to accept his resignation. On returning to Sri Lanka Ashraff settled his differences with the government and resumed his cabinet position. However, just before Ashraff died he had sent faxes to the media stating that the SLMC and NUA had severed all ties with the PA. Death On the morning of 16 September 2000, at around 9.30am, Ashraff boarded a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mi-17 helicopter at the Police Grounds at Bambalapitiya. The flight to Ampara District was to have taken him over Kandy, Randenigala, Maha Oya and Iginiyagala. Besides Ashraff there were 14 others on board - nine party officials, three bodyguards and two crew members. About 40/45 minutes after take-off the helicopter lost radio contact with air traffic controllers. Another SLAF helicopter was sent to search for the missing helicopter in the Hasalaka-Randenigala area. The wreckage of Ashraff's helicopter was found in flames on Bible Rock near Aranayake in Kegalle District. By the time the SLAF rescue team landed and reached the site the police, assisted by locals, had removed most of the bodies. Ashraff's funeral was held on the same day, at around midnight, at Colombo's Jawatta Muslim burial ground. The weather at the time of the crash was good. The authorities initially claimed that engine failure had caused the crash. The government immediately ordered an inquiry into the crash and in January 2001 President Kumaratunga appointed a Presidential Commission to inquire into the crash. However, neither found any conclusive evidence