Islamabad, Aug 28 - A court has ordered the government to remove any restrictions on Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan who was accused of running an illegal proliferation network, a lawyer said Friday.

Khan's lawyer, Ali Zafar, said the Lahore High Court ruled Friday that 'nobody can restrict the movement of Abdul Qadeer Khan'.

'It is excellent and heart warming and very gratifying,' Dawn quoted Khan as saying.

'I think the people who have been involved in playing mischief with me will get the message and allow me to live a peaceful, private life as a citizen.'

It was unclear whether authorities would obey the decision.

Khan had been put under house arrest in 2004 after confessing on state-run PTV to illegally selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea and sought the nation's forgiveness. Then president Pervez Musharraf did 'forgive' him but restricted his movements.

The Islamabad High Court had Feb 6 declared Khan a 'free man' and released him from house arrest but it later emerged that this was conditional as his movements continue to be restricted.