Dhaka, Dec. 16 -- Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said the wide-ranging reform programmes initiated by the interim government to establish a well-governed and forward-looking Bangladesh are steadily approaching successful completion.

In a message issued on the occasion of Victory Day, he said, "December 16 is our great Victory Day-an unforgettable and glorious milestone in the history of Bangladesh. On this day in 1971, after nine months of a bloody Liberation War, the nation achieved its long-cherished victory."He added that the country's independent national identity and the red-and-green flag were earned through the immense sacrifices and bloodshed of countless martyrs.

"I pay my deepest homage to the valiant martyrs who sacrificed ...