I don't want to encourage you to use pliers, but I have used them successfully in the past.
Some needle-nosed ones, and pinch the plastic hard about half way down the exposed peg. Because the plastic is then closed all the way, pushing through the board I find controllable. My Swiss Army knife has some pliers on that have a very close tip, and can be very good for fine but relatively forceful pliering. This is them, but the spring broke on mine 10+ years ago https://www.sakwiki.com/show_image.php?id=457 … ize=0&nocount=y
Otherwise, a small piece of pipe might work. A pipe the same or smaller diameter than the PCB hole. Push on the pin to close the tabs and it might recede on its own, or might need a poke with something down the pipe. A disposable ballpoint pen/Biro, with the ink and nib removed, might be just the right tool!