US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has spoken over phone with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed the accountability of convicted terrorists responsible for the brutal murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, according to the State Department.

Pearl, the 38-year-old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story in 2002 on the links between the country’s powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday that Blinken reinforced America’s concern over Pakistan Supreme Court’s ruling acquitting Pearl’s killers.

“Blinken and Qureshi discussed how to ensure accountability for convicted terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and others responsible for the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl,” Price said in a readout of the call.

In addition, Blinken and Qureshi discussed the importance of continued US-Pakistan cooperation on the Afghan peace process, support for regional stability, and the potential to expand our trade and commercial ties, Price said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement that the two leaders discussed “recent developments in the Daniel Pearl case” and Qureshi “underscored that it was important and in the mutual interest that justice is served through legal means.”

Qureshi congratulated Secretary Blinken on assuming his office, underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to forging a comprehensive partnership with the United States based on the convergence of interests on a whole range of issues, it said.

Qureshi told Blinken that peace in Afghanistan through a negotiated political settlement was one of the fundamental convergences between the two countries.

He said it was essential to have a reduction in violence leading to the ceasefire and to work towards securing an inclusive political solution in Afghanistan.