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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19— Harvard University agreed last week to aid in planning and developing a teaching hospital under construction in Karachi, Pakistan.
The $300 million, 721-bed hospital, the most advanced in Pakistan, is being constructed by the Aga Khan, the religious leader of about 15 million Ismaili Moslems. Under an agreement signed here Wednesday, the university will help in developing a medical library, a curriculum for training doctors in the neurosciences and courses on the effects of cultural and work environments on the administration of health services.
University officials said they expected to assist in other areas of teaching and medical care at the hospital in the future, but specific arrangements are still under discussion. Other universities involved in the facility, the Aga Khan Hospital and Medical College, include McMaster University in Ontario, McGill University in Montreal and the University of Malaysia.
The agreement appears to be part of an effort on the part of Harvard to expand its links to the third world, especially in health care. Until now, most of the university's activities in developing countries have been channeled through the Harvard Institute for International Development. This agreement, however, was made directly with the faculty of Harvard Medical School. 110 Health Units Planned

The Karachi hospital is expected to be a focal point for a network of about ll0 health care units operated by the Aga Khan throughout Pakistan, where many of his adherents live. The units are primarily in rural or remote areas.
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'I hope we will be using the hospital to prepare doctors for work in these areas,'' the Aga Khan said in an interview. ''We are trying to establish relationships in which we can learn from both northern and southern institutions.''

The Aga Khan is a 1959 graduate of Harvard College and has been one of its largest financial contributors. University officials say the agreement signed this week was an ''enabling document'' that will lead to further discussions. Harvard and the Aga Khan Foundation, a Geneva-based group that is financing the project, has yet to negotiate a fee for the university's role, but Shamsh Kasim-Lakha, chairman of the hospital, said Harvard would probably agree to a reimbursement for its expenses and the time of its faculty. May Also Train Faculty
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'We are trying to insure that there is a transfer of medical technology in a discriminate manner,'' Mr. Kasim-Lakha said. ''Not all programs at Harvard will necessarily work in Pakistan.''

In a statement issued Wednesday, the university said it might also make arrangements to train faculty for the medical center at Harvard's Medical and Dental Schools. The Aga Khan Foundation would absorb the cost of that training. In addition, at least one Harvard faculty member is expected to go to Karachi soon as an adviser to the center, which is expected to open in 1984.

McMaster University is providing help in the training of nurses, which is already under way so that adequate staff are available when the center opens. The University of Malaysia's aid was sought, Mr. Kasim-Lakha said, because of the similarities between the culture there and in Pakistan.