Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets.

Special court Judge Abul Hasnat announced the punishment during a hearing held at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Khan, who claimed the ordeal was politically motivated, was first jailed in August 2023 on corruption charges.

Pakistani police lobbed tear gas and detained a number of the cricket-star-turned-politician's supporters after tens of thousands descended on the streets ahead of his sentencing.

Some protests escalated into violence following a crackdown by police officers who claimed demonstrators had not received proper permission.

Khan, who is already serving a three-year prison sentence for corruption, has been barred from politics for five years by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The 71-year-old won the 2018 poll in Pakistan by winning 149 seats and receiving 32 per cent of the vote.

Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was banned from using its cricket bat symbol ahead of polls opening on February 8.