ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Authorities have eased the virtual house arrest imposed on A.Q. Khan, the disgraced scientist who sold Pakistan’s nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea, and Libya, officials said yesterday.

In what is believed to be his first public comment in about three years, Mr. Khan told the Associated Press that he was recovering from treatment for cancer but declined to discuss other topics.

Mr. Khan, 71, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program, confessed in 2004 to heading an international ring of smugglers that supplied sensitive technology to Iran and others. President Musharraf pardoned him while confining him to his tightly guarded villa in the capital, Islamabad. He has been permitted few visitors.

However, two senior government officials told the AP that the restrictions were eased several months ago and that Mr. Khan could now meet friends and relatives either at his home or elsewhere in Pakistan. “He is virtually a free citizen,” one of the officials, who is attached to the nuclear program, said.

However, the second official said Mr. Khan was only allowed to meet associates and relatives on a list approved by authorities, who would continue to provide him with a security detail that will restrict his movements.