 Solution

Conjugation by $P$ partitions $H$ into orbits. Each non-singleton orbit has size divisible by $p$, by the orbit-stabilizer theorem. The singleton orbits are exactly $H\cap Z(P)$. Since $|H|$ is divisible by $p$, $|H\cap Z(P)|\equiv 0(\mathrm{mod}p)$. This set contains $1$, so $\boxed{|H\cap Z(P)|\ge p}$.

For the deduction we also give the representation-theoretic ingredient behind Burnside's theorem: a nonabelian finite simple group has no nontrivial conjugacy class of prime power size. Here is a proof, so no stronger theorem is being assumed without justification. Suppose $g\ne 1$ has class size $p^b$. For an irreducible character $\chi$ of degree $d$ coprime to $p$, the class sum acts as the scalar $p^b\chi (g)/d$, which is an algebraic integer: the class sum has an integer-entry matrix in the regular representation, which contains every irreducible representation, so this scalar is an eigenvalue of an integer-entry matrix. Also $\chi (g)$ is an algebraic integer. Bezout's identity then makes $\chi (g)/d$ an algebraic integer. All its algebraic conjugates have modulus at most $1$, because character values of a representation are sums of $d$ roots of unity. An algebraic integer with this property is zero or a root of unity: the monic polynomials of all its powers have uniformly bounded integer coefficients, so two powers must coincide unless it is zero.

Every nontrivial irreducible representation of a simple group is faithful. If $\chi (g)/d$ were a root of unity, equality in the triangle inequality would force its representing matrix to be scalar, hence $g$ central, impossible. Thus $\chi (g)=0$ whenever $p\nmid d$, except for the trivial character of a representation. Orthogonality of the identity column and the $g$ column in the character table now givesThis would make $1/p$ an algebraic integer, contradicting the fact that rational algebraic integers are integers. The same proof covers class size $1$ directly through triviality of the center.

If an abelian subgroup $A$ had index $p^a$, every $g\in A\setminus \{1\}$ would have $A\subseteq C_G(g)$, making its class size a divisor of $p^a$, a contradiction. Such a $g$ exists: if $A=1$, then $G$ is a nontrivial p-group, whose center is nontrivial by the first argument with $H=P$. Therefore a nonabelian simple group has no abelian subgroup of prime power index.